Teknisk Wereld: Trials of Heart
by Celtic Guardian 7
Summary: All the god cards have been obtained. Now all that remains is a series of trials. Yet within those, they must face their most challenging foes: themselves. COMPLETE
1. Finding the Path

**Prologue**

In the year 2100, technology had become much more advanced. Now people are spending much of their free hours going to a virtual world known as Teknisk Wereld (translates to Technical World in English). This place is only able to be accessed when turning thirteen. Why? It's a dangerous area-while safeguards usually prevent deaths, serious injuries are still possible.

Anyway, when turning thirteen, you are given three things: an Envoyant Machine, a Duel Disk, and a Soul Card. The Envoyant Machine is basically a helmet-like device that "transports" your mind to Teknisk Wereld. The Duel Disk generates holograms of the cards that are used in the real world and Teknisk Wereld. Oh, forgot to mention that, didn't I? People carry around decks in both worlds. They are from a game called Duel Monsters. Played for fun and for serious reasons, hardly anyone lacks a deck these days.

Then you have the Soul Card. From this card comes your Soul Monster. This monster, based off one in the Duel Monsters game, is to remain bonded with you for life. Also, this monster is to be your Deck Master in duels. Deck Masters give the game a unique twist; each one comes with a special ability that can turn the duel to your favor.

In Teknisk Wereld v.1, Hope Gales was finally able to go to Teknisk Wereld. There she met some of her best friends; Rue, Max, Will, Claire, and Brandi. She also met their Soul Monsters; Ruecian, Olympion, Neo, Perseus, Mana, and her own, Gaston. When the Generals of Hell began to kill innocents to fulfill the conditions of the Ritual of One Thousand Souls, the six teens went out to stop them. Through many sacrifices, Hope was finally able to confront the one they revived; Satan himself. How she managed to survive is still unknown, but apparently there is more to her than meets the eye…

In Teknisk Wereld v.2, they were up against a new group: the Commanders of Heaven. But instead of wanting to revive God, they wanted to overthrow him. Although the Commanders were much cleverer than the Generals, the group had new friends as well. Miles, a thief and Commander, turned traitor and joined Hope and her companions. Draken, a former General, was brought back to life and wanted to help those that helped him see the truth. Fell and Larka, brother and sister, were helped out by Hope when escaping a laboratory where they had been specimen, and they remained with the group. Zack, a cyborg hired by the Commanders to kill the group, joined as well after Hope managed to convince him to switch sides. Matt, a companion of Max and Brandi, and Amy, Hope's half-sister, also assisted at various points. After many duels, they finally managed to reach the lead Commander, Kouten. But before they could face him, they had to go through an ordeal that involved each of them seeing a vision, all important in their own way. They also got a few words of advice from God's messenger, Gabriel. Kouten actually had one of the three god cards, Immense Divine Soldier of Obelisk. Max managed to defeat Kouten though, even though he had Obelisk. Max volunteered to hang on to Obelisk for the time being, being a guardian of sorts to it, which took care of one god card.

In Teknisk Wereld v.3, the group's new foe was a being known as Thanatos. Although it is not sure who he was or how he emerged, he appeared to them in the form of Max. When Ender tore Olympion's Soul Card, Thanatos took over Max's body shortly afterwards. Through much pain, both physically and mentally, from losses of duels that Thanatos used to toy with the group, Brandi finally got a chance to take down Thanatos. However, he managed to just barely stay alive. It was only when Hope confessed that she loved Max that Thanatos was finally destroyed. But it turned out that Thanatos was working with another villain. Vlademir, the leader of Macina Corp, was actually trying to take over the world. With two of the group's old foes, Malady and Viken, it surely looked like his plan would succeed. However, the companions were able to confront the trio. Hope killed Malady, Viken was slain by Larka, and Zack defeated Vlademir. It was a close match, since Vlademir managed to summon Saint Dragon-God of Osiris. Zack was able to win though, ending the plot. However, to save Will from the virus Vlademir had been behind spreading, Vlademir's life was spared. On the plus side, they were able to claim Osiris. Rue was the only one able to handle the god card, so he became its guardian.

In Teknisk Wereld v.4, it was discovered just who Sarius really was. Known as the Emissary of Balance, he travels to different worlds, trying to find the two Limiters in each world. Larka was the light one. Juno, the Emissary of Darkness, was also after her, along with Lario, a stand in for the Emissary of Light. Sarius and Juno brought some companions of theirs, who they fought against. Despite the conflicts around them, Hope and Max finally confessed their love for each other, as did Zack and Larka. Draken and Kisara was hinted towards. In the end, it turned out that Sarius had Sun of God Dragon-Ra all along. Larka won a very close duel and earned the final god card. Will was Ra's guardian, so it came to be his possession. The dark Limiter, a young boy named Julian, managed to run away shortly after Sarius beat Juno for the final time. Juno and his Mavericks left, as did Lario. Sarius remained to try and find Julian. With all three god cards collected, the group is more worried about what will happen when they bring them all together…

**Chapter 1: Finding the Path**

A shrill barking caused Hope to nearly fall off the top bunk. She looked down and saw Malon leap down from Larka's bed, still barking.

"Malon! Enough!" Larka scolded, getting out of bed. She grabbed him so that he wouldn't bolt around the room. Then she looked up and saw Hope watching. "I'm sorry about that."

"It isn't a problem." Hope climbed down the ladder leaning on the bunk bed. She looked over at the clock. "Good, it's eight. We have just enough time to eat and then go to Teknisk Wereld to meet the others."

"Then we had best get going," Gaston said. He did not mention the nightmare from before, which relieved Hope.

They went downstairs and found Fell already in the kitchen. Mrs. Gales was also there, making pancakes, along with bacon and sausages.

"Good morning you four," she greeted, placing plates in front of their places. They sat down as Malon ran to the front door, yelping excitedly. He loved to collect the newspaper every morning.

"Where is Sarius?" Hope asked.

"Right here," Sarius answered, coming into the kitchen. "I've eaten, so I'll wait in the living room for you three."

As he started towards the exit of the kitchen, he nearly tripped over Malon, who came bolting in while dragging the newspaper in his mouth.

Mrs. Gales picked it up. "Thank you, Malon." She opened it and stared in amazement at the front page.

"Mom? What's wrong?" Hope asked, noticing that Mrs. Gales had gone strangely still.

She walked over to the table and put the newspaper on the table. "Just see for yourself."

They stared at the main headline. Hope began laughing while Larka covered her mouth to prevent herself from doing the same. Fell took one look at the picture on the front before diving underneath the table.

Sarius went to where Fell had been sitting and glanced at it. He smirked as he saw what it was. "It seems you have become a celebrity, Fell."

The front page had the picture of Fell, Larka, and Hope. Underneath in it was a caption which said, _From left to right: Fell, the one who violently expressed his opinion on Hooters Girls; Larka, his devoted sister; and Hope Gales, a friend who protests against Hooters Airlines due to them interrupting her reading._

The title itself read **Whooo**** Likes Hooters? Nobody Now! **The article began by saying:

_It seems that the once popular restaurant has been quite a hoot since they began Hooters Airline. _

_Many people have protested to their main attraction on flights, known as 'Hooter Girls'. Jill Thompson is one of them. _

_"As a mother, I am strongly against those girls dressing and acting in such a manner," Jill stated, shuddering. When we asked her nine year old daughter, Megan, what she thought of these Hooter Girls, she said, "They act really stupid. You couldn't get me to dress up like that for anything, and I played the oak tree in my school's Chicken Little play!"_

_Not many protestors spoke up until yesterday, however. A young man, who goes by the name Fell, had accidentally won a game that he had not meant to participate in. The Hooter Girls gave him a t-shirt many called 'inappropriate' and told him to put it on promptly. Outraged by the order, Fell proceeded to attack the two Hooter Girls, nearly landing them in the hospital._

_What did the people on the plane have to say about this? Only three men were against this harsh reaction. "That boy is a monster!" Bobby Lovors protested. "He nearly killed them! This is beyond tolerable!"_

_However, everyone else on the plane applauded the teen's actions. Yours truly even encouraged him. "It serves those bimbos right," Rex Dillen declared. "They're a disgrace to all other women, who actually care for their modesty. If those whores had made me try that, I would have done exactly the same thing!"_

_The hero of the hour left swiftly with his sister, Larka, and his friend, Hope Gales. Before doing so, they allowed a couple of pictures to be taken. "I actually told Fell that he was my new hero," Hope admitted with a laugh. "I was trying to read my book the entire flight, but wasn't able to due to those morons talking over their microphone in the loudest and most obnoxious voices."_

_"Fell is usually good about controlling himself, but this was just too much for him," Larka added._

_Charges on the injuries could be possible, but many do not think it will be allowed due to how the Hooters Girls acted… (Continued on 5A)_

"This is awesome!" Hope commented as she flipped to the next section, where the lengthy article continued. It had the picture of Fell alone, looking away from the camera uncomfortably, and the one of Larka holding onto his arm. There were also a few others, such as Bessie and Jessie in their highly painful condition.

"I regret that I missed all that," Gaston said sadly.

"I'll want to save the whole thing," Mrs. Gales stated. "So don't throw that out."

"Wouldn't dream of it," Hope grinned, handing it over to her.

"It's all right now. You can come out," Larka said, her head underneath the table.

"…No…" Fell muttered, looking beyond embarrassed.

"You have to eat," Larka pointed out as Mrs. Gales set the food on the table.

After some more coaxing, he finally came out and ate his serving. Soon they were done, and they went to Teknisk Wereld.

…

Everyone looked up as they saw Hope, Fell, Larka, and Sarius appear.

"You guys finally showed up!" Rue indicated to the newspaper he had laid out in front of them. "Fell, you're famous!"

Fell instantly backed away, sitting on the ground with his back to them, hunched over.

"We saw it this morning," Hope said as she sat down too. "The reporter actually did a pretty good job of telling how it happened."

"Congratulations Fell!" Miles called over to him. Fell's only response was to try and curl up so he'd be even more hidden.

"So how was your trip home?" Larka asked Rue as she went to sit by Zack.

"Completely uneventful. I called the bus home the boring bus," Rue sighed. "The happy bus was so darn cool."

"Yeah, sure it was," Max said sarcastically. "Do you have Osiris or not?"

"Of course I do." Rue brought out the card from the top of the deck, showing them it. Hope felt a shiver of anticipation as she saw it.

"I still have Ra," Will stated, bringing him out too. "All we need is Obelisk. Max, do you have it?"

"Not yet," Max answered. "Matt and Brandi will be here soon. Brandi will tell me where to find it."

"Is she feeling well enough to do that?" Larka asked anxiously.

"She's doing a bit better. But whatever you do, don't mention Mana," Max told them. He looked over at Rue. "You have Black Magician Girl in your deck, right? Would you take her out so she isn't accidentally played in a duel?"

"This is life or death," Rue argued. "I can't just take her out when she could be the perfect card for bailing me out of a jam." After a moment, he said, "But I won't play her unless I have no other choice. Ok?"

"…Fine," Max said, seeming unsatisfied but not arguing.

At that moment, they heard someone shout, "Hey guys!" They turned to see Amy and Sakura coming towards them.

"Amy! You found us!" Hope exclaimed.

"Yep. I thought it was worth a look. How did things go yesterday?" Amy inquired.

Before Hope could begin explaining, Brandi and Matt suddenly appeared. Brandi still seemed under the weather, but had recovered a bit. Matt stood beside her, already looking serious.

"Brandi! How do you feel?" Larka asked, going over to her.

"…All right, thanks," Brandi muttered.

"So we're going to settle everything with the god cards today?" Matt assumed.

"That's the plan," Draken confirmed.

"The only one we need now is Obelisk," Max said. "Brandi, where is it?"

Brandi stiffened. Then she slowly turned away.

"Brandi? What is wrong?" Larka asked worriedly.

Brandi covered her eyes with the back of her hand. "…Larka… you know where we were before…?"

Larka realized what she meant instantly. "I see… don't worry, I'll get it then. Is it safe to carry?"

"It's in a box," Brandi said.

"Ok." Larka smiled at the group reassuringly. "I'll be back shortly." She then went to Malon and held out her palm in front of him. "You need to stay here though."

Malon whined in protest.

"Sorry, but it's important that you do, ok?" Larka said as she got up. Then she began to run towards the forest.

While she was gone, Hope filled in Amy, Matt, and Brandi on everything that had happened. They listened attentively, only making a few comments. Amy had already seen the newspaper, but Matt got a laugh out of it. Even Brandi smiled slightly.

After that, they waited for Larka to return, only making a few comments.

…

Larka emerged onto the island at long last. She had wanted to come back here for a while, and she was very happy to, even if it was just for a short time.

She was tempted to go into the spring to see that woman again, but knew that they were expecting her to return quickly. So she began to search around the rocks, and soon found the wooden box that Brandi had spoken of.

Larka quickly opened the box to confirm it contained what they needed. Sure enough, it had Obelisk inside. She closed it again and went back to the tunnel to return to her friends.

…

"There she is!" Hope said as they saw Larka running back towards them.

When she stopped in front of them, Malon jumped at her, barking loudly. Larka picked him up, which caused him to stop, and then gave the box to Max. "I found it."

"Thanks," Max replied, taking the box and opening it. He picked up Obelisk, and was pleased to see that it looked perfectly fine.

"…Larka… thanks for getting it for me…" Brandi whispered as Larka went by her again.

"Glad I could help," Larka answered.

Before anyone could do anything else, Sarius got up. Raid, who he had brought out when they had arrived at Teknisk Wereld, hissed softly.

Aya came up to them, Sahaqiel following her. "Good, I made it in time."

"It looks like you decided to show up after all," Sarius said.

"That's right." Aya smiled at him, and then explained to the others, "Adene, Mach, and Shadow are already gone. I decided to wait for Lord Tirran. I have nothing better to do, so I came to see what was happening."

"Welcome aboard," Draken said.

Then they all turned to Rue, Max, and Will, who held the god cards. Fell went over to them at last so that he could watch too.

"So… what do we do with them?" Rue asked, stupefied.

"Try stacking them on top of each other," Amy suggested.

Will set Ra on the ground, Rue set Osiris on top of it, and Max put Obelisk on top. A blinding flash of light seared through them, and then it was still again.

"Well, that didn't help," Miles said flatly.

But Hope was already moving. She went over to the stack and reached out her hand to them.

"Wait! What are you doing? You'll get burned if you try that!" Draken protested.

Yet Hope easily lifted them. She fanned out the cards, showing all three. Then she pointed them at the lake.

Light and darkness suddenly formed beneath the water, mixing and intertwining. The only thing separating them was a thin layer of water that remained stable, acting like a seeing glass to the chaos within the lake.

"Holy cow!" Rue exclaimed, looking into the water with the others.

"What just happened?" Neo asked, confused.

"I think that is a portal that we need to go into," Will stated. "The question is how to access it."

"All we need to do is go into the lake, right?" Miles said.

"I don't think that will work," Larka disagreed. "See how the water looks? It's almost like a barrier."

Hope put a foot onto the water. Then she put her other on it. The water held her weight as though it was solid ground.

"What the hell?" Max muttered, running his fingers over the water's surface.

Hope looked at the god cards she held. They felt so right in her hands, as though she was meant to have them…

"Any ideas on what to do, Hope?" Draken asked. "Since you seem to know what you're doing and all."

"…Oh, right, sorry," Hope said, snapping out of her daze. "No, I have no idea."

"Then we're stuck!" Rue said in exasperation. He grabbed his spare cards and began to pull them out quickly. "I'll see if I have anything to break through this… damn it!" he exclaimed as he dropped a Skull Blood Pirate Ship.

It hit the water, and a hissing sound emerged. Then the water around it turned blue, and the card began to sink into it.

"Whoa! Wait a minute!" Rue grabbed the card frantically, and pulled it out of the water before it could be swallowed up.

"What was that?" Gen wondered.

Kisara cautiously went up to the water, bringing out a card from her deck, Dol Dora. She slipped it into the lake while keeping a tight grip on its lower portion.

The water around it turned a pale green. When she removed it again, the water was white and black once more.

"That's it! We need elements!" Will realized.

"Elements?" Gaston asked.

"The water reacts by turning the color of the Main-Type of the monster," Will explained. "If we put all six into the water at the same time, we should be able to enter the lake."

"I think you're right," Hope agreed. "But the people who use the cards will have to remain behind."

"What? That's not fair!" Miles protested.

"Life isn't fair. Get used to it," Amy said. She searched her deck and pulled out a Big Bangirl. "I'll supply the fire Main-Type."

"Amy? Are you sure you want to stay behind?" Hope asked.

"I've been a helper, so I'll end as one," Amy smiled. "I wish you the best of luck, Hope."

"…Thanks," Hope replied, smiling back.

"I can do wind, since it has already been proven to work," Kisara volunteered.

"So you're remaining here?" Draken inferred.

"Yes," Kisara said. "I was not with the group from the start. I think my role would be better out here."

"All right then." After a moment of hesitation, Draken placed a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, we'll be back soon."

Kisara blushed. "I'm sure you will. Stay safe, Draken."

"Well, I don't have any choice now that you requested that," Draken grinned.

"And he denies that he's in love?" Rue whispered to Miles.

"Sad, isn't it?" Miles muttered back, rolling his eyes.

"I have enough support cards to be able to use something," Matt said, shuffling around his pile. "Ah, here we go." He showed them the card, one called The Sea God's Handmaiden. "I can use this as the water card."

"Don't want to come?" Max asked.

"Nah. This one is up to you guys," Matt told him. "I'll be giving my support from the sidelines though."

"Then let me use Warrior of Zera for earth," Claire requested.

"You too?" Rue said.

Claire nodded. "I haven't been much use during this whole thing. Let me at least do this. But come back unharmed, ok?"

Rue gave her a thumbs up. "Got it."

"Then that should make it fairly obvious that I will provide the dark while Aya does the light card," Sarius stated, bringing out Chaos Sorcerer. Aya found a Mokemoke and pulled it out of her deck.

"I thought you wanted to see what was going to happen," Daine pointed out.

"I can't have everything I want, now can I?" Sarius replied with a small smile. "This is the best job for me and for Aya. If it means we have to miss the main event, then tough luck for us."

"Everyone… thank you…" Hope said, looking at the six of them.

"We will be expecting you to return triumphantly," Amy told her.

"So don't mess this up, ok?" Matt said.

"We'll keep waiting until you come back. For our sakes, don't take too long," Claire joked.

"Good luck," Kisara whispered.

"I'm not sure just how significant this event will turn out to be, but from what I saw of Ra, I know it is probably very important," Aya stated. "I'll hope for the best."

"If anyone can do it, you'll be the ones," Sarius told them. "So be sure to succeed."

"Definitely," Rue agreed. "You guys ready?"

"Any time!" Draken said enthusiastically.

"I'm good to go," Miles grinned.

"The sooner the better," Will stated.

"Let's get it over with," Max said.

"…Yes," Fell answered.

"I'm all set!" Larka assured.

"The time is now," Zack stated.

"…I will come too."

They all turned to see Brandi staring at them.

"Brandi… are you sure?" Larka asked hesitatingly.

"It might not be a good idea in your condition…" Hope said doubtfully.

"I want to be able to help," Brandi replied. "Please, let me accompany you."

Max hesitated, and then said, "…If you must."

"Be careful," Matt said worriedly.

Brandi nodded slowly, looking nervous but saying nothing else.

"Then we should go to the center of the lake," Hope said, stepping onto the water again.

"How are we supposed to spread out? Just six points around the lake that seems evenly apart?" Claire asked. "And why go so far out on the lake?"

"I think so," Hope replied. "As for going out into the water, I don't know why, but I feel as though we need to be in the center of the lake too."

"Malon and I will be able to tell you when we reach the necessary point," Daine stated. "When you hear us howl, slide the cards into the water."

"All right then. We'll see you guys later," Amy said.

Without further discussion, the rest of the group stepped onto the water. It remained firm as they walked towards the center.

"This is so weird…" Miles commented as he looked down.

"I don't like it much myself," Neo agreed with a shudder. "Not just because it's water, mind you."

Ruecian scooped up a handful of water as they went on. It slowly seeped through his hand, the clear drops falling back into the lake.

"Hope, are you feeling all right?" Gaston said, watching her with concern. "You've been acting oddly ever since you picked up the god cards."

"…What?" Hope asked distractedly, looking up from the three cards.

"See? Like that," Gaston confirmed.

"Maybe you had better let us hold onto them again," Max suggested, coming next to her.

Much to his surprise, he saw Hope's eyes flash angrily. For a moment, he thought she was about to refuse, perhaps even violently.

Then it was gone, and Hope was handing him Obelisk. "That might be a good idea." She turned and gave Osiris to Rue and Ra to Will.

Max gave her a worried glance but did not say anything.

At last, they arrived in the center of the lake. "Any last minute things to take care of?" Gen asked.

"I think we are set," Darche answered.

"Then allow Malon and I to request our departure," Daine said. He and Malon sat down, and howled a long and mournful note.

For a moment, nothing happened. Then they saw the clear barrier of water had begun to change colors. Red, blue, green, brown, yellow, and black began to flow towards them, matching the Main-Type colors. The six colors clashed beneath them, swirling together. A gray hole formed, and before they could react, they were falling.

Once they were gone, the hole closed again, giving no sign that it had ever been there.

…

"Well, that's that," Amy said when the six that had stayed behind met up again.

"Now we have to wait for them to return… again." Claire glared at the lake. "I hate always being unable to do anything but worry about them! If only we could see what was happening!"

As she said that, the black and white colors in the lake suddenly vanished, leaving the water completely clear. Then an image formed.

"I didn't expect this," Matt commented as they stared at the scene.

"Is that really them?" Kisara said softly.

"They aren't actually underneath the water, but I assume we are seeing what is occurring to them in the location they were brought to," Sarius stated. He smiled slightly as he added, "It seems this will still be entertaining for me."

There wasn't much else to be said about it. They all sat down, watching the events unfold.

…

"Is everyone ok?" Larka asked as they all got up.

"Looks like it," Draken replied.

"Where are we?" Miles wondered as he looked around the area.

It was a large hallway made out of gray stone. Behind them was impenetrable darkness. They could see forward, even though there was no visible light source.

"We're in a one way lane," Rue said. "Should we go on?"

"There's no point in going back," Max pointed out, stepping forward. Nobody said anything else as they went down the hallway.

They halted in front of a stone wall. It had three rectangles, spread out in a triangle formation. The one to their right had a sketch of a beast in it. The center, top one had a dragon with a long neck. The one to the left was a gryphon.

"The god cards?" Zack assumed.

"Yes," Hope confirmed.

Max went up to the beast. "I think this is Obelisk." He brought out the card and set it on the rectangle. It fit in perfectly.

Suddenly, they heard a deep voice echo through their minds. _I am the body. My strength is physical. All shall fall before my power._

They looked around in alarm, but the speaker did not say anything else. "Was that Obelisk?" Draken asked.

"I think so," Gen confirmed.

Hope shook her head. "Obelisk sounded so familiar to me…"

"Hope?" Max asked.

"…I don't know," Hope said, shaking her head.

"I guess I'm next," Rue stated, going up to the stone and setting Osiris on the rectangle with the dragon.

This time, a lighter voice responded. _I am the soul. My strength is character. All shall fall before my emotions._

"…Will, you're up," was all Max said.

Will took out Ra and placed it on the gryphon. The response was given in a tone that was not as deep as Obelisk, but not quite as light as Osiris. _I am the mind. My strength is mental. All shall fall before my wisdom._

The three god cards began to glow, and then they sunk into the stone, vanishing. The wall was pulled away, entering the left side of the hall.

"They're gone!" Rue exclaimed.

"If we still need them, they will come back to us in time," Will said calmly. "Let's keep going."

Rue bit back any arguments he had and followed Will down the hallway along with the others. The floor abruptly cut off though, leaving them with a dark hole that stretched to the limits of their sight.

"How far do you think that goes down?" Miles asked.

"Only one way to find out," Darche stated. "We need to go down there."

"Are you seriously suggesting that we all jump in at once?" Rue said in disbelief.

"I doubt this would be a trap," Draken stated.

"It does seem unlikely," Larka agreed. "So let's all go together."

"All right, it's only a matter of life and death," Rue shrugged. Then they all leapt at the same time.

The fall seemed to last for a long time, yet they all landed gently on their feet. At first, they could not see anything, but then another mysterious light source abruptly snapped on.

Everyone stared in wonder at the room. It was circular, the floor and ceiling the same stone as from the hallway. Strangely, even though they had fallen into the room, there was no sign of the pit they had gone into.

This fact was lost upon them as they stared at the wall. Surrounding them on all sides were mirrors. There were ten, all identical in appearance and in the wall itself. The oddest thing about these mirrors was that none of them showed a reflection.

"What is this?" Hope said, her voice echoing through the room.

"No idea," Neo answered. "It's obvious that they're mirrors, but they're pretty odd ones at that."

"That leaves us with no idea on what to do," Zack stated.

Then they heard the three god cards, this time speaking together. _Upon seeing a reflection in a mirror, that person is to enter for their Trial of Heart._

They waited, but nothing else was said. Rue sighed. "A reflection? That's great, but none of these weird mirrors are reflecting anything…"

Brandi suddenly gasped. They turned, and saw her staring at a mirror, her face pale.

In the mirror was a black figure that had the exact outline of Brandi. Its red eyes gazed back at her coldly.

"Brandi is first? But…" Larka trailed off, not knowing what to say.

"Damn," Max growled, knowing there was no way around what it meant.

Brandi slowly stepped forward. "I-I'll be fine… don't worry…"

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Miles asked, even though he was sure that they could not back out of it now.

"I have no choice…" Brandi stated as she stopped in front of the mirror. She lifted her hand, placing it on the mirror, shivering as she saw her dark version mimic her movement. It sank through the mirror like water, and soon the rest of her did as well.

…

"This is where it truly begins," Sarius said as he watched Brandi enter the mirror.

Matt watched with his hands clenched into tight fists. "Brandi…"

To be continued…


	2. Trial of Grief: Brandi

So here we are, on the fifth arc of Teknisk Wereld. Since I have almost all of this arc already planned out, I hope to complete at least one chapter per day, if not more. I was fortunate enough to have the time to get two done today. Let's see if I can keep it up!

John: Kuribo skillfully dodges the Blade Knight and continues to follow Demon Rue. Ouch.

Epyon: Thank you. I know you'll be enjoying it!

Captain Obvious: Sayonara is pretty common knowledge, but some people don't know that it means a much longer goodbye.

**Chapter 2: Trial of Grief: Brandi**

It took a few moments before Brandi could see where she was. When her eyes adjusted, she began to look around.

She was standing on the beach, watching the gentle waves of the ocean. Normally, the calm noises would have made her feel better. But something was wrong with this image. Instead of being as sunny as usual, clouds darkened the sky. The whole beach was gray, similar to a black and white photograph, as though it had lost all its color with the sun. It was also remarkably cold. Brandi could not help but shiver slightly as a brisk breeze passed her.

"Am I really home?" Brandi said softly, turning around. Her eyes widened as she saw the condo.

"…Or is this all an illusion?" Brandi asked, looking around. Then she went up to the condo, having no better idea on where to go.

As she went inside, on a table near the entrance, she saw several framed photographs. The one closest to her showed the same picture from her locket, except it was larger. This one was covered in dust.

The next one was of Max, and seemed a bit old, despite the fact that it showed Max at his current age. After that, a photo of Chasity and Ender was there. It seemed somewhat new. Behind that was one of Jason, but it was yellow with age, and the dust was very thick on it.

Abby was in the next one. This picture appeared to be new. The one next to her, Randall, looked as though it had just been taken. The second to last one was of Matt, and seemed exactly like Randall's.

The final picture frame had a blank white portrait in it. Brandi picked it up and looked at it, puzzled. To her surprise, the red paint on the frame was wet, and stained her hands.

"Who was this for?" Brandi asked aloud. Then she shook her head fiercely. "…I don't want to know… for some reason, I don't want to know…"

She set the frame back on the table. As she did, she happened to catch sight of something on the very end of the table. It was a lock of long, silver hair.

"…Larka? But what is it supposed to mean?" Brandi wondered. Receiving no answer, she began to walk on, hoping to find someone.

Soon she came to the closed door of her mother's room. She put her hand on the doorknob, but felt a sudden rush of forbidding. All of her senses shouted at her to not open that door.

"But I'll never get out of here if I don't," Brandi said quietly. Then she turned the doorknob and opened the door before she could hesitate any longer.

Her eyes widened as she saw herself lying in bed. Mana was sitting next to it, as was Hime. Mana was currently looking at a thermometer she held with worry in her eyes.

"Mana!" Brandi exclaimed, running towards her. But to her shock, she passed through Mana.

She slowly turned around, and tried approaching Mana. Once more, she slid through Mana, like a ghost. Brandi turned again to see that Mana had not even looked up.

"What is wrong with me?" Brandi whispered, shaking.

Any other comments she might have said were cut off by Mana speaking. "105.5… it's been like this for two hours now. If this keeps up…"

"Mana?" Brandi said.

Neither Soul Monster seemed to notice her. "Isn't there anything we can do to help her?" Hime asked worriedly.

"I don't know…" Mana said softly. Then she looked up. "Wait… yes, there is a way. There is something I can do, but I must ask for you to not interfere with it."

"Huh?"

"Please, just promise that you won't stop me!" Mana exclaimed, turning to Hime, who could see several tears falling from her eyes.

"…This was… when I was about to die…" Brandi realized.

Hime hesitated, and then nodded. "Very well… but what are you going to do?"

"Keep her from dying," Mana said as she went onto the bed and straddled herself on Brandi's midriff. "I can't afford to have Brandi moving during this… every bit of energy counts." She then began to concentrate all of the energy in her body into the palms of her hands.

"Mana, please don't do anything rash!" Hime protested. "You mean too much to Brandi to be taking any large risks!"

"It's too late for that, Hime," Mana stated grimly. "There is no other way at this point…" She then rested her hands directly on Brandi's chest, right over her heart.

"Here goes nothing…" Mana murmured. Then she began to release the energy. Light poured out of her hands and entered Brandi. Mana tried to hold steady, but could not help but moan in pain as her energy flowed into Brandi.

"Mana! No! Stop!" Brandi cried, reaching out to try and take her shoulder. Yet her hand passed through Mana.

Hime watched in worry as Mana grew more and more pale, and her breath became very ragged. "Mana, please stop this! At this rate, you will…"

"I know!" Mana yelled, trying to focus long enough to complete her task. "But it will be worth it if it saves her!"

Suddenly, Mana shuddered, and let go of the sleeping Brandi as she fell off of her, onto the bed, beside her.

Mana's movement stirred Brandi from her sleep. "Hm… what is going on?" she asked exhaustedly. Then she sat up, looking at Mana in alarm. "Mana? Mana!" Brandi exclaimed, bringing her fallen Soul Monster closer to her. "What's wrong?"

"I'm sorry…" Mana whispered. "I just wanted to make sure that you would be ok… but I overestimated my capabilities…"

"This can't be happening… not again…" Brandi said frantically.

"What do you mean?" the Brandi in bed asked worriedly.

"I tried to save you from dying by healing you to purge the sickness…" Mana said softly. "I mostly succeeded and you should be out of danger… but now I am too weak to survive… I lost too much energy…"

"Mana, please stop talking like that!" the other Brandi begged. "You're fine. You're just tired, like every time you heal me. After resting, you'll be fine, I know you will be!"

"No… she won't be, can't you see that?" Brandi exclaimed, her vision blurring.

Mana smiled weakly. "There is no use in denying it…" She stiffened, and murmured, "Brandi… I love you…" as her eyes slowly drifted shut. Then her breathing ceased as she went limp.

Brandi stared at her, unable to believe what had just happened. "No…"

"I can't take it… it's too much… it's too much for me to handle!" Brandi cried.

"MANA!" the two of them chorused. Then, as the other Brandi buried her head into Mana's shoulder and broke down, the real Brandi kneeled on the floor, countless tears spilling from her eyes.

As she continued to cry, the three figures in the room faded away. She did not look up though.

"It seems all those years were for nothing," a cold voice said.

Brandi forced herself to look up, tears still running down her face. Standing before her was the figure she had seen in the mirror. The girl looked almost exactly like Brandi, except that she seemed to be just a tad bit younger. She was completely black, except her eyes, which were completely red, with snake-like pupils.

"You endured wounds beyond imagining, yet you always recovered," Dark Brandi said. "You had to be strong, to keep Max going. Despite your bold outer appearance, you were weak inside. Now that your precious companion is gone, your weak façade has fallen away!"

"Mana…" Brandi whispered, not even trying to deny what her reflection told her.

"Beyond pathetic," Dark Brandi growled, holding out her left arm. A Duel Disk appeared on it. "I offer you one chance to redeem yourself. If you win this duel, you will still have a chance at passing. Understood?"

"…Why should I try?" Brandi said hopelessly. "There's no point…"

"Did you lose all of your confidence? Or did it just never exist in the first place?" Dark Brandi taunted. "I wonder what that useless Soul Monster even saw in you, anyway. I would have moved onto a better master if I were her."

That got Brandi's attention. She got up, still seeming depressed, yet not as willing to give up as before. "Say what you will about me, but leave Mana out of this!"

"What are you going to do to stop me?" Dark Brandi asked. "It is not as though you can win in your state."

"…For Mana's sake, I can't give in. Not without doing something to fight back," Brandi said, turning on her Duel Disk.

"Then let us begin the second trial," Dark Brandi smirked.

"Second trial?" Brandi asked. But her copy was already drawing her cards.

Brandi: 8000

Dark Brandi: 8000

"You go first," Dark Brandi said.

"…All right… I lay one monster in defense mode and end my turn," Brandi stated.

"That was a horrible first move," Dark Brandi told her. "Too scared to think straight, or is your sorrow just getting the better of you?"

Brandi did not respond.

"Do not worry, a response is not necessary," Dark Brandi said. "I can read your face like an open book. I summon Surprising Matasa (1300/800) and equip him with Power of Magicians. His stats are raised by 500 for each magic or trap card on my field. I lay down two more cards. (2800/2300) Matasa attacks your monster."

The swift swordsman easily cut through Brandi's Regenerating Mummy. (1800/1500)

"Then he does a direct assault on you!"

Brandi cried out as the Matasa slashed her, leaving a long red gash.

Brandi: 5200

Dark Brandi: 8000

"It looks like I forgot to tell you that damage you take in this duel will hurt you physically as well. My apologies," Dark Brandi said in mocking tone. "It is your turn."

"…I lay another monster in defense mode, along with two cards… and end…" Brandi whispered.

"You and your weak spirit! Fight back!" Dark Brandi snarled. "I summon Death Gremlin! (1600/1800) He attacks your defense monster!"

This time, it was a Drillago that was torn apart. (1600/1100)

"Matasa attacks you directly, twice!" Dark Brandi said.

"I counter with Holy Life Barrier," Brandi responded. "By discarding Female Warrior of the Moon from my hand, I take no damage this turn."

"At last, you put up some resistance," Dark Brandi muttered. "I end my turn."

"…I activate Cry of the Living Dead for Female Warrior of the Moon," (2100/1400) Brandi said. "She attacks Death Gremlin…"

"I plan on making this a flawless victory," Dark Brandi said with a cold smile. "I use Shrink on Death Gremlin, and then activate Death Destruction Virus of Death!"

Brandi's eyes widened as the Death Gremlin exploded. Purple spores settled on her Female Warrior of the Moon, causing her to fade away. "My combo…"

"Yes, it was your combo. I borrowed it," Dark Brandi smirked. "Now, is it my turn?"

"…I have to discard Igzarion Universe…" Brandi said softly. "I'm done."

"Then allow me to wrap this up. Matasa attacks you twice!" Dark Brandi declared.

Two more long, deep cuts went into Brandi, one on each side. She fell, blood streaming from her wounds as she hit the ground.

Brandi: 0

Dark Brandi: 8000

The Duel Disks shut off automatically, and Dark Brandi came up to her. For a moment, Brandi thought she would be killed by her reflection.

Instead, Dark Brandi put her hand on her forehead. "You have failed two out of three trials, so you cannot continue. Be sure to beg for forgiveness from your friends. Not that it will help though; they are probably only pretending to care about what happens to you, after all."

Brandi tried to respond, but couldn't. Darkness was surrounding her, carrying her away…

…

"What is taking so long?" Rue complained as he paced. "This waiting is too much for me!"

"We're all worried," Gaston told him. "But there is nothing we can do but hope that she will return safely."

"Sadly, that is often the only thing we can do," Draken pointed out.

Before the discussion could drag on any longer, the mirror Brandi had gone in suddenly began to glow. Brandi fell through it, landing hard on the stone floor. As the glow in the mirror faded, an image appeared instead. It was the frame with the blank photo on it. But now the paint was going down it in fresh streaks, almost like blood.

"Brandi!" Larka exclaimed, going over to her. "Are you ok?"

As she knelt down next to her, Brandi instantly grabbed her around the waist, crying heavily. Unsure of what had had this effect on her, yet wanting to help, Larka shifted Brandi into a more comfortable position, her arms now near Larka's shoulders. "Don't worry. You're safe now. Everything will be all right…"

"What happened to her?" Hope gasped, seeing that she was bleeding harshly.

"Does it matter? All we need to know is that she has to be healed!" Miles exclaimed.

Max instantly inserted a Red Potion into his Duel Disk. However, nothing happened. Giving the Duel Disk a look of surprise, Max tried again with no better results. "What the hell is wrong with this thing?" he snarled.

"Support cards must be off limits here," Will stated. "That means that we will have to all go through these trials quickly in order to be able to heal."

"Then let's get on with them!" Max growled. He had considered going to try and help Brandi too, but she seemed to be completely focused on Larka, who was still trying to comfort her.

"Well, she isn't about to tell us what happened," Neo noted. "So we're still in the dark as to what we need to do."

"The only way we'll find out is by having the next person go into their mirror," Hope said.

They all turned to the mirror to the right of Brandi's. After a moment, a new dark figure appeared. This time, it looked exactly like Rue, except for the fact that he was completely black. His eyes were the exception, being blood red with their snake-like pupils that were identical to Dark Brandi's.

"I have the worst luck," Rue moaned as his reflection stared back at him with a smirk.

"Here's some advice for you; don't die," Draken said.

"Gee, thanks for that enlightening piece of information," Rue grumbled. Then he looked at Ruecian. "What happens to our Soul Monsters?"

"I doubt we will be able to follow," Gen replied, looking at the mirrors. "It's something that only you may access."

Ruecian smiled reassuringly at Rue. In response, Rue couldn't help but grin. "Thanks for the support. I'll be back out soon, hopefully not torn apart!" Then he went up to the mirror and stepped inside.

After a moment of silence, Draken commented, "I wonder how he can read Ruecian's expressions so well yet be so clueless on such simpler matters."

Ruecian shook his head but did not respond otherwise.

…

Matt looked as though he wanted to try jumping into the lake to get to Brandi. Seeing how he looked, Amy managed to overcome her shock enough to say, "Don't even try it."

"I won't," Matt growled. "But it's very tempting."

"You will be able to see her soon. Do not worry," Kisara said softly.

Their discussion was cut off when Claire gasped. "Rue!"

They turned back to the lake in time to see Rue step into his mirror.

"I'm sure he'll be fine," Amy reassured Claire.

"…After seeing Brandi like this, I really hope so," Claire replied worriedly.

To be continued…


	3. Trial of Bloodlust: Rue

Here's the chapter I promised. It also turns out to be 11:38, when I should have been in bed at 11:00. I still need to finish eight algebra assignments before 8:00 in the morning tomorrow. Wish me luck! Don't worry about tomorrow's chapter, due to a lack of homework I should get it up.

John: Kuribo dodges and continues to chase Demon Rue. Realize that swords won't cut down the cute furball.

Captain Obvious: Exactly.

Epyon: I had to laugh out loud at that. Thanks for the review.

**Chapter 3: Trial of Bloodlust: Rue**

Rue waited for a few moments, and was then able to see. He glanced around the room cautiously.

It appeared to be a study of some sort. He noticed a couple of bookcases with several leather-bound books on them. A large, polished, wooden desk was against the wall in the windowless room. A few neat stacks of papers were on it, as was a small, gold lamp that was currently on, with a chain coming from the rectangular light to be used as a method to turn it on. The carpet was a royal purple, and the elegant chair at the beautiful desk had matching purple fabric with gold trimming.

"Nice place," Rue commented, looking around. "It's weird though. I feel like I recognize this room…"

Confused over the sense of familiarity, Rue glanced towards the back of the room. He noticed a long shelf there, suspended on the wall with several small items on it. The shadows made it impossible for him to see what the objects on the shelf were though.

"Might as well," Rue shrugged. He walked over to the shelf, his head level with the shelf. When he got in front of it, he took a closer look at the item on the far left.

"What the hell!" Rue exclaimed, jumping back as his heart pounded wildly. After a few moments, he forced himself to approach the shelf again.

He carefully lifted the object, examining it while keeping it a safe distance away from himself. It was a doll that looked exactly like him. It also seemed disturbingly life-like. The dark brown eyes in the doll captivated Rue for a long moment before he broke free of the trance with a shudder.

"It's a doll? But it's me… what is this supposed to mean?" Rue wondered. When he received no answer, he lifted the doll to put it back on the shelf. Rue set it down quickly, causing the doll to have its back hit the wall harder than he meant.

Instantly, Rue was forced to bite back a yell of pain as his back flared in agony. After a moment, it subsided, leaving a dull ache.

Rue looked at the doll suspiciously, and then lifted its right hand. He pinched it and winced as he felt a sharp pain in his right hand.

"Is it… a voodoo doll?" Rue said in disbelief. Even more uneasy with the doll, he looked at the object next to it.

Again, Rue was shocked. It was another doll, but it looked identical to Ruecian. The next one was Claire, and then Perseus. He continued down the line, and stopped at the end, trembling. There was a doll of every person from the group, even one of Amy. The only ones who were missing from the collection were Sarius and his companions.

"Are these all voodoo dolls?" Rue walked back to the side with his doll on it. "Well, I certainly can't test them… so…"

As he looked at his doll and Ruecian's, he was surprised to notice a doll he had originally overlooked. He reached back and picked it up gingerly, bringing it a bit closer.

This time, he couldn't keep back his yelp of surprise. He dropped the doll, causing it to hit the carpet with a thud. As it landed, he heard a mental snarl.

_"Watch it, you moron! That hurt!" _Demon Rue hissed.

Rue blinked as the sudden fury that he had felt from his alter ego faded slightly. "Demon Rue?"

_"Obviously.__ I thought the experience you had with your doll would have taught you not to toss the things around!" _Demon Rue growled.

Rue bent down and gently lifted the doll that was an exact replica of Demon Rue. "Sorry. I was caught off guard by this one."

_"Why did it surprise you?"_ Demon Rue asked. _"Did you think that I would not be part of this game?"_

"Game?" Rue said. "What do you mean by that?"

_"You have not realized it yet? Ah, right, I forgot who I was talking to." _After a pause, he continued. _"We are all players in the hands of higher beings. They use us as pawns to play their elaborated game. It is beyond sickening. We were created just for the pleasure of a few who were made higher up than us."_

Rue glanced at the doll of Demon Rue doubtfully before he put it back up on the shelf carefully. Despite his misgivings, he could still feel an emotion from Demon Rue that surprised him: hopelessness. "If that's all we're here for, what is the point in existing?"

_"If you ever figure that out, let me know. My view on it is that possibly, as the generations pass, there may be a group to break everyone free of this curse. It seems doubtful, but what other options are there?"_ Demon Rue said.

"Why can't we be the ones to do it?" Rue demanded, looking rather disturbed by what he had been told.

_"You and your friends?__ Out of all of humanity, your group has some of the most important people to the higher beings!" _Demon Rue stated.

"How do you know all of this?" Rue asked.

This time, Rue was answered with a wave of frustration. _"I still cannot remember anything. It is possible Satan himself blocked off my memories."_

"Satan? So you were with him!" Rue accused.

_"It is a good possibility," _Demon Rue agreed. _"There is no need for alarm from that, however. I do not share any kind of alliance with him any more, even if I used to have one."_

Rue considered that for a long moment, but finally decided that Demon Rue's statement was sincere… for now, anyway. "So at this very moment, Satan is using us?"

_"Correct. God also has his own uses for some, but he only does so to balance Satan's attempts. If Satan were to stop, God would too, or so I believe." _Rue felt something that seemed like a mental shrug come from Demon Rue. _"Either way, you are in Satan's hands at the moment, as is everyone else. If you do not wish to remain there, I suggest fighting back soon."_

"Hope beat him before; we can do it again!" Rue said.

_"Now that you know who you are facing, perhaps… but for now, you need to focus on completing this trial," _Demon Rue stated.

"Yeah…" Rue gave his doll a final glance. Then he froze, seeing a small gold plaque lying next to the doll. He slowly lifted it, reading two words on it.

"_Doll Master_… what is that supposed to mean?" Rue inquired.

_"Your eyes are unclouded. You know who your enemy is now," _Demon Rue said simply.

"All right then, if you say so," Rue replied, putting the plaque next to his doll again. "Let's keep me aware of it, shall we?" Then he went over to the study door, putting his hand on the doorknob. "I guess we need to go this way. I don't see anything else that I can do here."

_"…If that is what you want to do," _Demon Rue answered, his words sounding uneasy.

"What's wrong with you?" Rue asked.

_"You will see shortly," _was all Demon Rue said.

Rue decided not to press him any further. He opened the door, revealing a hallway with white walls and matching carpet. He went into it, wondering which way he should go. Then he felt a sudden urge to go to the right.

"Ok, that way," Rue decided, walking down the hall. He kept going until he saw another door at the end of the hallway. It was partly opened. But Rue did not even look at the door when he saw who was standing outside it.

A young boy, who seemed to be about six, was standing outside of the door with a nervous expression. It only took Rue a second to recognize who the boy was, even though his clothes were nothing like the ones Rue now wore.

"It's me," Rue said in awe, staring at his younger self. "That's why this all looked familiar… this is where I used to live…"

Then Rue hesitated. "But I don't remember this…" He went up to his younger self and tried to put his hand on his shoulder.

Rue was amazed to see it go through the child version of himself. He held his hand in front of his eyes, but it seemed as solid as ever.

"So nobody even knows I am here…" Rue realized. But before he could continue to talk to himself, he heard a man speak.

"I know I am right, and nothing you say will change facts! His blood tests clearly show that something is abnormal about him. As absurd as it may seem, the only possibility is that his body houses a demon! Believe it or not, I have books that tell of such occurrences. The only way to prevent that monster from emerging is to kill its host-your son!"

The voice of the female the responded nearly made his heart stop. "It isn't Rue! He's fine, perfectly fine! I know he's all right!"

"…Mom," Rue whispered.

"It has nothing to do with how the boy himself is. The demon inside of him is the problem. I apologize for the inconvenience, but he has to go," the man replied, not sounding very sorry at all. "If you would just cooperate and bring him here…"

"No! I won't let you kill him!" the woman protested.

Two pairs of eyes widened at the sound of a sharp slap. "You selfish woman! By keeping your son alive, you could be dooming the world!"

After a moment, she said, "And your incomplete facts could be responsible for slaying someone who is innocent!"

An abrupt thud and a cry of pain sounded from the room. That was all both Rues could take. The younger one flung the door open, running inside. The real Rue lost no time in following him.

This room seemed to be another study room of sorts. There was a desk with more papers on it, along with a black case. Rue didn't even bother to examine his surroundings. Instead, he focused on the two adults. Leaning against the wall, on her knees, was a woman with a white shirt and a long, gray skirt. Her pale white hair fell to about her waist, and was nearly covering her brown eyes.

In front of her stood a man in a neat black suit and matching pants, with dark brown hair and light brown eyes. Judging by the way he set his foot down, and the way the woman held her arms over her stomach, it was clear that he had just kicked her brutally.

The young Rue instantly ran up to his mother, flinging his arms around her. "Mom!"

Rue's mother looked down at him, horrified by his sudden appearance. "Rue, leave now! Get out of here!"

"Well, this makes things much more convenient," the man commented. He reached into the case on the desk, bringing out a small, black pistol. The metal glinted as he pointed it at Rue. "Step away from your mother, and we will only have one death today. I will kill both of you if necessary though. I don't care about consequences. When it comes to my fate or the world's, I choose the world."

The younger Rue turned his head towards him, terror written across his face. Yet he didn't move.

"Fine, I'll kill you both!" the man shouted, pressing the trigger. A bullet shot directly at Rue's chest. Rue shut his eyes, facing away.

Then, to everyone's disbelief, the young boy reached up and caught the bullet.

"What?" the man said, stepping back. "How…?"

Rue smirked, and then his eyes flashed open. They were red.

"Even now, after so much time to develop, humans have such flimsy weapons," Demon Rue laughed, tossing aside the bullet as though it were merely a rock. "You seriously believed you could kill a demon with such a weak attack?"

The man couldn't even respond, frozen in dread.

"Now… I believe it is my turn…" Demon Rue said with a cold smile. Dark energy began to surround him, crackling as it did. "Your blood is far too appealing to me. You tried to take my host's life, so I think it is fair enough if I take your own, right?"

His prey stepped back, holding up his hands in front of him, but it was far too late to beg for mercy. The dark energy suddenly flew out, consuming the whole room. The real Rue covered his eyes with his hand, waiting for it to pass.

When it faded, he saw his younger counterpart standing there, shaking. His eyes were brown once more. He was staring at the man, who lay on his back, dead.

"Rue…"

Both Rues turned. The younger Rue immediately ran to his mother, while the other one remained where he was, staring in shock.

She was covered with blood from the energy hitting her, tearing her skin in several locations. She weakly smiled at the younger Rue. "It's all right, Rue…"

"No! You can't die!" Rue said, his eyes blurring.

"Rue… we all must die eventually…" she whispered, lifting her hand to his face. "I just wish I could remain a bit longer… so that you and your father… would not be alone…"

"Mom!" Rue exclaimed.

"…Goodbye... my love…" his mother said softly, her hand sliding away as she closed her eyes forever.

The younger Rue, seeing that nothing could be done for her now, did not even try to hold back his tears now. They flowed down his face, blood that had been flecked onto it mixing with them.

Rue just watched, unable to do anything. He felt his eyes misting over as well.

Then the younger Rue reached out with a trembling hand, his fingers running over her bloody arm. He hesitated for a moment, and then his eyes flashed red briefly. Rue put his fingers up to his mouth, and began to lick the blood off them.

The real Rue backed away, appalled, as he watched his younger self continue to lick the spilled blood off his mother's corpse. It took all of his might to resist the urge to throw up at the sight of it.

Suddenly, the door was flung open again. A man wearing a brown suit and black pants, with gray hair and hazel eyes, came in. He halted abruptly, seeing the younger Rue licking the blood off of his mother's face.

"Oh my God…" the man managed to say, dropping the briefcase he had been holding. It popped open, papers scattering everywhere.

The younger Rue spun around. His red eyes almost instantly returned to brown again. "…Dad…" he whispered.

His father seemed even more horrified when he saw Rue's lips, smeared with blood. He stepped back, saying, "You… you monster…" Without another word, he spun around and ran out of the room.

Rue fell forward, his head buried in his arms as he began to sob again. Then his younger self faded away, leaving the real Rue alone in the wrecked room.

"…No wonder I wanted to forget what had happened…" Rue said.

_"It overwhelmed you. I used some of my remaining power to block the memory so that you would be relatively undamaged. I wanted my host to be in the best condition possible,"_ Demon Rue explained.

"…Why? Why did you do all this?" Rue asked, not sure what to think.

To his surprise, he felt an emotion that he could have sworn was… sadness. From Demon Rue, that seemed impossible, yet…

_"It was similar to when I hacked apart that General of Hell. Being newly brought out into the world, I behaved like the most minor of demons. It was disgraceful on my part. I lusted to be able to unleash my power, and to be able to finally feast on something to make me stronger…"_ After a moment of silence, Demon Rue added, _"Your mother's blood was what really awakened me. In a sense, she gave birth to me as well."_

Rue did not say anything.

_"I have no desire to kill again for merely amusement. I have always thought of myself as a higher, more sophisticated demon." _A bitter laugh echoed through Rue's mind. _"Going out of control twice proved me wrong there. I cannot make any excuse for my actions. I offer my apologies."_

Rue blinked. "…Have you found a heart?"

_"No,"_ Demon Rue snapped. _"I do not need one to feel sorry for an action that I did not mean to take."_

If Demon Rue had not been inside of Rue, he was not sure how he would have reacted. He probably would have never believed the demon. Yet, he could feel his emotions still… and he was now positive that Demon Rue felt genuine sorrow.

"…I can't say I like you. Hell, I think I hate you more than anything else at this moment," Rue said. "But I forgive you."

_"…What?"_

"I said I forgive you." Rue looked towards the wall, still blood-stained. "I won't get anywhere pinning the blame on you. It's pointless to even try."

_"…And if I were lying with my words?"_Demon Rue asked.

"You aren't. I can feel your emotions, remember?" Rue said.

_"…Damn it. I wasn't aware of that," _Demon Rue growled.

"Well, I can. So I mean what I said," Rue told him.

Suddenly, the sound of clapping filled the room. Rue spun around and saw his reflection, applauding.

"Excellent. It seems you passed the first trial," Dark Rue said. "I was hoping you would. Now I have the chance to fight you myself."

Rue tensed. "What do you mean by trial?"

"Each person who enters the mirror must face three trials," Dark Rue explained. "You just passed the first one. I am the second trial. If you defeat me, you will soon see what the third trial is."

"Fine! I'll accept your challenge!" Rue declared.

"Good," Dark Rue smirked. He held out his left arm, and a Duel Disk appeared. "Such a more convenient method, dueling is. Wouldn't you agree?"

"I've had enough of blood," Rue stated, turning on his Duel Disk. "I won't argue with this method of fighting."

Rue: 8000

Dark Rue: 8000

"You go first," Dark Rue told him.

"Kind of you," Rue commented as he drew. "I play one monster in defense mode and one card face down. That's it."

"I summon Skilled Black Magician (1900/1700) and attack your facedown monster," Dark Rue said.

"You've triggered my trap card, Claymore Mine!" Rue announced. "That destroys Skilled Black Magician."

"Fine. I end my turn."

"I'll flip summon my Doublecoston," (1700/1650) Rue said. "Then I sacrifice it to summon Black Magician! (2500/2100) Black Magician attacks directly! That's it."

Rue: 8000

Dark Rue: 5500

Dark Rue did not seem troubled by how much damage he had taken. "I activate Black Magic Curtain." A Black Magician instantly appeared in front of him.

Rue: 8000

Dark Rue: 2750

"Then I activate Thousand Knives, destroying your Black Magician. My Black Magician attacks you directly."

The wave of black magic hit Rue dead on, nearly causing him to collapse from pain.

Rue: 5500

Dark Rue: 2750

"The agony is real for you." Dark Rue laughed coldly. "However, I cannot feel pain, so that rule only hurts you-literally. I end my turn after laying one card down."

"That won't stop me," Rue growled. "I summon my own Skilled Black Magician, and then activate Early Burial to bring back Black Magician!" He winced as his Life Point counter dropped from activating Early Burial.

Rue: 4700

Dark Rue: 2750

"My Black Magician attacks yours, killing both. Then my Skilled Black Magician attacks you directly! That's it."

Rue: 4700

Dark Rue: 850

"I grow tired of this," Dark Rue said. "I activate my trap card, Cry of the Living Dead, to revive my Black Magician. He attacks Skilled Black Magician."

Although the Skilled Black Magician took the main blow, Rue was still hit by the remains of the dark magic. He stumbled back, but regained his balance swiftly.

Rue: 4100

Dark Rue: 850

"It is your turn."

Rue glanced at his hand and grimaced. It looked like a pretty bad situation for him. He slowly drew, and sighed in relief when he saw what it was.

"This will hurt, but it's worth it to win the duel," Rue told Dark Rue. "I summon Injection Angel Lily! (400/1500) Then I pay 2000 Life Points to use her effect!"

The sudden drop of Life Points to gasp, falling to his knees. Lily rushed forward, thrusting her large needle into the Black Magician. He began to bloat unpleasantly before exploding.

Rue: 2100

Dark Rue: 0

"D-damn…" the reflection managed to say. "I overestimated my capabilities… a bad habit you gave me…" Then it was gone.

Rue shakily got up. "It looks like he's gone… but what about that third trial thing?"

As he said that, the room around him began to fade. Darkness surrounded him for a moment, and then he found himself in a new location.

Rue was sitting on the slope that lead down to the lake. The sun was setting, causing the lake to shine brilliantly as it reflected the colors.

"A nice sight, isn't it?"

Rue started, and then looked to his left. Sitting next to him was a woman. But for some reason, he couldn't really see her very well. She was out of focus, so he could not make out any of her features.

Despite that, Rue felt as though she was trustworthy. She almost seemed familiar to him… "Yeah. I love being here."

The woman smiled; even though he could not see her face, he could feel the gesture. "I don't often get the chance to come to this spot very often. It is relaxing though." The woman sighed. "I could certainly use some relaxation after all that's happened."

"All that's happened?" Rue asked.

"…Yes. Things are going by quickly. And we still don't know who we are facing." The woman glanced over at him with eyes that Rue could not distinguish. "It doesn't give me much time to think about my own feelings."

Rue blinked. "What do you mean?"

The woman glanced away, seeming nervous. "Ah… nothing important…"

"Obviously it is, or you wouldn't have brought it up," Rue stated.

After a moment of hesitation, the woman said, "I have… feelings… for someone that I know. Even though I do not have trouble showing it, I cannot tell whether he thinks the same of me. We are often more concerned with our enemies at the time, so I often try to keep my thoughts focused on those. But those feelings keep coming back…"

Rue remained silent until she was done. Then he said, "I can't say I've gone through the same thing. However, my advise is to just tell him outright how you feel."

"What?"

"You said you show your emotions, right? But you never outright told him what you felt," Rue pointed out.

"…That is true," the woman agreed.

"Say what you feel before it's too late. It's very possible that he thinks the same of you, but does not know how to tell you," Rue advised. "There's no sense in dragging it out… at least, that's how I see it."

"…Yeah… I think you're right," the woman said as she stood up. "Thank you. That helped. I think I can do what I need to now."

"No problem." Rue rose as well, despite the pain left from the duel he had been in. As he tried to see her face again, he had a sudden thought. Before thinking, he said, "I'm sure you'll do fine if you just be yourself. Where's the confident girl that beat me so easily? She'll get through it fine."

The woman stared at him. "Rue?"

As she said that, Rue felt himself fading away. The last thing he saw was the woman finally come into focus. But only for a second. He smiled to himself, knowing his guess had been right.

…

"We're going to be at our wit's end if we have to wait this long for each person to finish," Miles commented as they waited for Rue to return. For the most part, they had been completely silent, except for Brandi's quiet sobs and Larka's soft reassurances.

"It's not like we have much of a choice but to wait," Max stated.

As he said that, the mirror began to glow. Rue toppled out, nearly collapsing. Ruecian was already there though, and grabbed his shoulder to support him.

"Hey, it looks like you made it through!" Draken said.

Rue grinned. "Yeah. It wasn't too bad."

Hope was looking at the mirror. "Rue, what is that?"

They turned to see an image on the mirror. It was the doll of Rue, now in a standing position. Clenched in its small hand was an axe about as big as it was.

"I'd call it the focal point of my trial," Rue answered. "It seems like whatever most represents us shows up on the mirror."

"How did the trial go?" Gen asked.

"There were three parts in all, but I don't know if everyone will have the same thing," Rue said. "I saw my worst memory, then dueled my reflection, and met a person. I'll go more into detail later if necessary." Rue cast a concerned glance at Brandi. "How is she doing?"

"Not too good mentally," Larka replied, looking up briefly. "Physically… if we're quick enough, I think it will be all right."

"Oh, that's what I forgot to mention," Rue realized. "When you duel your reflection, losing Life Points hurts you. That's why I feel as though I'm about to fall over. So be careful."

"All right," Hope said. "If that's it, then let's find out who goes in next."

They turned to the mirror that was to the right of Rue's. After a moment, the black reflection with its red eyes appeared.

"It appears that I am the next one to go," Will stated, calmly gazing at his reflection.

"Be careful in there," Rue said.

"Of course." Will began to walk to the mirror.

"Come back soon!" Neo called.

Will turned back and nodded. "Ok." Then he walked into the mirror.

…

Claire breathed a sigh of relief as she saw Rue come back out of the mirror, looking mostly all right.

"Good, he seems to be all right," Amy said.

Matt was still concerned about Brandi, but Larka seemed to be helping her as much as she could be helped. So Matt tried to let himself relax a bit, even though it was difficult.

"Looks like it's Will's turn," Amy commented as she watched him enter the mirror.

Sarius smiled slightly. "He is one that I cannot bring myself to feel too concerned about."

"Yeah. Will should do fine," Claire agreed as they waited for him to return.

To be continued…


	4. Trial of Loyalty: Will

Completely opposite from yesterday, I had like no homework today. Yay!

John: -Watches Imperial Decree get activated, and then watches Kuribo dodge the attack and try to latch onto Demon Rue's arm- Oh no, I think you made things worse!

Captain Obvious: Nope, Injection Angel Lily is not banned anymore. I'm quite pleased with that, actually. For the story's sake, we'll say the bans were changed over the month they had off before they went to get Ra.

Epyon: Thanks. And yes, Rue is very creepy. Or, to be more accurate, Demon Rue is.

**Chapter 4: Trial of Loyalty: Will**

Will patiently waited until his vision adjusted, and then began to examine the room he had appeared in.

He was in a large library that was fine enough to be owned by royalty. The hard, wooden walls were covered with crimson drapes, and the carpet was navy blue. In the corner was a small table and a large, comfortable-looking chair that had gold fabric. Huge bookcases with countless books were against the walls. There was only one door, and it was behind him.

"This is incredible…" Will said in awe, walking up to one of the bookcases. As he did, one book caught his eye. It had a white cover but no title. He pulled it out, and saw it was decently thick.

"Hm…" Will glanced at the blank cover for a moment, and then carefully opened the book. Inside it, there was a black and white picture. It was a group photo of him, Hope, Rue, and Max. Hope and Rue were smiling, but Max's expression clearly stated that he was uncomfortable. The Will in the picture was gazing ahead calmly, holding a book like always.

"What is this supposed to mean?" Will wondered as he began to flip through the pages. He could not understand the language the book was written in, but there were more pictures. One was of Draken, Miles, Fell, Larka, and Zack. Another had Sarius and the Child. Yet another contained Matt, Amy, Claire, and Kisara. There were also individual photographs of all of his close companions.

About halfway through the book, he began finding pictures of Soul Monsters. All of them were there, in group pictures and individual ones again. A couple had Olympion, but ones closer to the back had Tenma. The same held true for Neo; in earlier pictures, he was Magical Swordsman Neo, while in later ones, he was in his Legendary Flame Lord form.

"Perhaps this is showing how our friendship has developed," Will said to himself as he put the book back on the shelf. He went to another bookcase, and this time, he took a black book that caught his eye.

The pictures in this one were very faded. They contained all the enemies that the group had fought. Even Thanatos and Juno were there. Out of all the pictures, only a few were easy to make out though. Juno and Satan happened to be the only ones that he noticed.

He put that one back too. "Our enemies that are still around are clearer than the ones that died. It makes sense." As he continued down the row, he came across a gray book.

This one contained photographs of the events that he had seen in the church. They went in order, and seeing them once more made him wonder about what was going to occur.

As he came to the ones that had not happened yet, he found that each time he turned a page, he could not remember what the other pictures were of. This did not concern him very much. He was sure that they would make more sense once the time was right.

Will shut that book as well. After putting it aside, he went over to where the chair and table were. They happened to be in front of a fireplace that Will had not noticed before. There was a fire already going, shedding more light around the chair. There appeared to be no lights in this library, yet Will could still see rather well.

Above the fireplace, Will noticed something. He went closer and saw that it was a gold shield. Engraved on the front was an orange tiger, its mouth open in a snarl. Fire surrounded the tiger, as though it was leaping through the flames. Below it, a black symbol was engraved.

Somehow, Will knew what the symbol meant, even though he was sure he had never seen it before. "Loyalty…" After a moment, he said, "Maybe it's supposed to represent a knight's loyalty to their lord, or something of the sort." He smiled slightly. "That sounds about right for me."

Will turned around, looking towards the door. To his surprise, it was now open a bit. Deciding that meant he should go there, Will gave the library one last, reluctant glance before he went to the door.

He slowly pushed it open, enveloping the room with white light. Then he found himself standing in a hallway that he recognized.

"This is my old school…" Will realized. "Why am I here though?"

From behind him, he heard someone say, "Well, well, would you look at that. With a complete change of heart, he's reading! Bet you guys didn't see that coming!" Laughter from several people followed the taunt.

Will slowly turned around, staring at an all-too-familiar scene. A younger Will, which the real Will knew was currently in sixth grade, was backed up against a wall. He had both his arms wrapped around a book that he kept over his chest, as though it were a shield. Surrounding him were five other teens, all boys that were far larger than him. The real Will, unable to believe his eyes, slowly approached the scene.

"Just leave me alone," the younger Will muttered, not looking at them.

"Leave you alone? Why should we do that? So you can go back to staring at your precious books?" the leader of the group sneered. "Are you saying you prefer stacks of paper to people?"

The younger Will did not respond to that, shifting his gaze guiltily.

"And people say we're heartless!" one of his cronies said, laughing obnoxiously as he slapped his hand against his leg in mirth. "All they have to do is look to this guy to prove that there are worse than us!"

"No wonder you don't even live with your parents," another commented with a smirk. "You probably drove them off by caring more about inanimate objects than anyone else!"

Will could see that his counterpart was now shaking slightly. But it was not from fear, as some might have assumed. Will remembered full well that it was anger beyond anything he had ever felt before…

"It also explains a lack of friends. You probably drove off anyone that tried," the leader mocked.

The book dropped from Will's hands, landing on the floor as Will dove at the leader. The leader barely managed to dodge out of the way. Will turned and tried to punch him, but the teenager ducked. Instead, Will's fist went right through the wall, leaving a gaping hole in it.

For a moment, the group of thugs were frozen in shock. Then they ran for their lives, not even looking back.

The younger Will slowly brought his hand out of the wall as he reached down and picked up the book again. He stared at the cover for a moment, and then closed his eyes, trembling. This time, it was because of terror.

As that Will faded away, the real one recalled what had happened after that. Rumors had been spread, and people had completely avoided him. In seclusion, he had immersed himself in books more than ever. Neo had been the only one friend he had had at that time, even though he had wanted more desperately. However, what had really shaken Will was the total lack of control he had felt that day. It had always haunted him, the thought that it might happen again.

Although it seemed like a strange thing to do, after seeing that incident, Will found that he could not help but smile. "That was the worst part of my life. Now I would say I have entered a much better time. Now I have friends that I can trust, and they trust me in return." His gaze wandered to the ruined wall. "I have never been more afraid then the moment when I lost control of myself. It caused me to think that it might separate me from others forever. Yet it never happened again… it seems those worries were for naught."

"A good conclusion to reach," he heard someone agree.

Will looked back to see his reflection watching him. He lifted his right hand, and a Duel Disk appeared.

"You have come to terms with your feelings, so you have passed the first trial," Dark Will stated. "Dueling me is the second trial. I believe it is safe to assume that you accept."

"Yes," Will said. "I'll face you."

"Excellent. Then let us begin," Dark Will declared.

Will: 8000

Dark Will: 8000

"Who is to go first?" Will asked.

"You must," Dark Will answered.

"Must?" Will said. After a moment, he nodded to himself. "Ah… I see. You are a reflection of me. You cannot move until I do."

"That is correct," Dark Will confirmed. "What will you do?"

"I lay one monster in defense mode and two cards face down," Will said. "That's it for me."

"Hm… quite the defensive deck we have here," Dark Will commented. "I lay a monster of my own face down and set one card. I end my turn."

"I summon Magical Armor EXE, (2400/1400)" Will decided. "Then I activate Black Power Stone for three magic counters. Since Magical Armor EXE can't attack the turn I summon him, I'm done."

"You chose a risky card to play," Dark Will told him as he drew. "Since it is my standby phase, you need to get rid of a magic counter to keep him alive."

"I'm aware of that. One of the magic counters from Black Power Stone is lost," Will said.

"Good. I sacrifice Magical Plant Mandragora for Magical Marionette. (2000/1000) It attacks your defense monster."

"It is my Royal Magic Library. (0/2000) It still remains due to equal defense to your attack. Anything else?" Will asked.

"No."

"All right. I remove another counter from Black Power Stone to keep Magical Armor EXE alive," Will said. "Then I summon Hannibal Necromancer. (1400/1800) Magical Armor EXE destroys your Magical Marionette, and Hannibal Necromancer attacks you directly. That's it. I'll remove the last magic counter on my Black Power Stone to keep Magical Armor EXE alive."

Will: 8000

Dark Will: 6200

"I activate Early Burial to bring back Magical Marionette," Dark Will said.

Will: 8000  
Dark Will: 5400

"Then I use Cyclone on your face down card."

"It was Magic Arm Shield," Will told him.

"I activate Clarity of Mind to get another one. That gives my Magical Marionette two magic counters, raising its attack by 400 in all. (2400/1000) I attack Hannibal Necromancer."

The Magical Marionette whipped out its wires, cutting through the Hannibal Necromancer. As it did, some of the wires sliced into Will.

Will: 7000

Dark Will: 5400

Will looked at the wounds on his arms. "Rue warned me about this… I had better finish the duel quickly."

Dark Will did not respond to Will's last statement. "I activate Hidden Tomes to shuffle Early Burial and Cyclone back into my deck. I am done."

"You actually gave my Royal Magic Library three magic counters on your last turn," Will pointed out. "I remove one to keep Magical Armor EXE alive. Then I play Jar of Greed to draw two cards. I remove the three magic counters to draw another card from my deck." Will glanced over his hand and smiled slightly. "Now I activate Trial by Fire! I will sacrifice Royal Magic Library and Magical Armor EXE to summon The Legendary Flame Lord! (2400/2000) I equip him with Power of Magicians to raise his stats by 500 for all my magic and trap cards. I also lay another card face down. (3400/3000) That gives him enough attack power to destroy Magical Marionette, even though I powered it up too. (3000/1000) He attacks Magical Marionette, and I end my turn after that."

Will: 7000

Dark Will: 5000

"I set a monster and lay a card face down," Dark Will stated. "That is it."

"I'll attack your monster with Flame Lord," Will decided.

"In response, I activate Magic Cylinder!" Dark Will announced. The cylinders appeared, one catching the fire blast while the other redirected it, hitting Will. He collapsed to his knees, wincing as agony shot through his body.

Will: 3600

Dark Will: 5000

"Do you wish to continue?" Dark Will inquired.

Will's response was to force himself to stand up. "I play my own Clarity of Mind, and then end my turn."

"Ah… this might work…" Dark Will said. "I place a monster face down and end my turn."

"I won't let you use it," Will stated. "I activate another Clarity of Mind, giving Flame Lord three magic counters. I remove them to activate his effect! He destroys all of the monsters except for himself!"

The Flame Lord raised his staff, and fire swept out of it, consuming the two other monsters on the field. Dark Will said, "You destroyed Apprentice Magician and Tenacious Old Magician."

"Now I summon Magic Warrior: Breaker! (1900/1000) He attacks you, and Flame Lord ends the duel!"

Will: 3600

Dark Will: 0

"Well played…" were Dark Will's last words. He faded away, leaving Will standing in the empty hallway once more.

Before Will could even wonder what to do next, the hallway vanished too, leaving only darkness for a moment.

When he could see again, he found himself standing in a meadow. The ground was covered with flowers of all colors and types. They blended, causing the landscape to look as though it had been painted. The mildly sweet fragrance of the flowers caused Will to relax.

As he looked around, he saw a young girl kneeling on the ground, gathering a few of the flowers together. Strangely, Will could not make out any details of her though. She was out of focus, so all he could see was her outline.

The girl turned her head to face him. Then she stood up and walked over, still holding onto a few of the flowers. "I'm surprised that somebody else was here."

"I have another destination I must reach," Will said. "I'm just stopping here for a moment."

"This is a good location for doing that," the girl agreed, sitting down. Will did the same.

"Why are you here?" Will inquired.

"I just wanted some time to think," the girl replied. "I'm trying to straighten out some concerns of mine."

"Like?" Will prompted.

"Well…" The girl thought for a moment on how to word what she wanted to say. "My mom has high expectations of me, and wants me to work hard towards that. I'm not as serious about it as she is though. I don't want to spend all of my time doing what my mom wants me to. I waited a long time to be able to be with my friends in this world, so I want to be able to enjoy it."

"Understandable," Will said. "Have you told your mother how you feel about this?"

"…No…" she answered slowly.

"I cannot make your decisions for you, but I advise telling her about this," Will stated.

The girl looked down at the flowers she held. "Mom would be really against it."

"Your life is yours alone," Will told her. "Others can help you make choices, but you must be the one to decide upon them. Do you follow what I am saying?"

After a moment, she nodded.

"The best way to settle this matter is to talk to the person who is causing it, whether she means to or not," Will said. "That is what I think, anyway."

Again, the girl nodded. "Yeah… I think you're right." Will felt her smile, even though her face was still unable to be seen. "I'll try that. You brought up good points."

"I wish you the best of luck," Will said, rising. As he looked down at the girl, he gave her a small smile in return. "You really do look like your mother."

The girl seemed surprised, and then pleased. "Thank you… Will."

As she said his name, Will felt himself begin to fade away. As he did, he finally was able to see who he had talking to. He only had a moment to catch sight of her, but it was enough to prove that he had indeed been correct.

…

Like before, none of them talked much as they waited for Will to return. Neo seemed especially nervous, but remained silent, which surprised most of them.

At last, the tell-tale glow of the mirror appeared. Will came out of it, looking slightly worse for the wear due to the ash covering him from the fire damage he had taken. Otherwise, he seemed fine.

"Will! Are you ok?" Neo asked anxiously, going up to him.

"Yes," Will replied. "It was fine."

They looked at the mirror as an image formed. In a few seconds, the golden shield with the tiger, flames, and symbol was there.

"Cool," Rue commented, looking over it.

"It looks like you couldn't escape your love of tigers," Draken laughed.

"I'm surprised it wasn't a book," Miles muttered.

Will ignored the last remark. "I had to go through three trials that went as Rue had described. This shield also seemed to be the main point of the trials."

"We're doing pretty good so far," Darche said. "Of course it could have been better in some parts, but worse scenarios are definitely possible."

"True," Gaston agreed. He glanced at Brandi. "Still, we should get through this quickly. Who is next?"

They faced the next mirror. The reflection appeared shortly.

Max went slightly pale as he stared back at his dark version. "…So, I'm next…"

Will gave him a concerned glance. If they were being forced to confront their worst memories, this would be very difficult on Max, especially with his previously weak mental state. That probably explained why Max seemed nervous now.

Hope also noticed his reaction. She went up to his side and took his hand. "Don't worry. You'll be fine," she reassured him.

Max turned his gaze to her, surprised at her actions. Then he forced himself to smile. "Yeah. Thanks."

After Hope let go of him, Max went up to the mirror. Before he entered, he said, "Larka… please keep looking after Brandi."

Larka could see that he was even more concerned about his sister now that he had to leave the same area she was in. "Of course I will," she replied.

"Thanks." He looked over at Tenma. "I hope to be back shortly."

Tenma uttered a soft growl, but did nothing else. Max proceeded to enter the mirror.

…

"As I expected, he made it through fine," Sarius commented when they saw Will reappear.

"That's a relief," Amy said. "Who's going now?"

Matt's eyes narrowed as he saw Max approach the next mirror. "Max is. If Brandi ended up as she did… well, if it's a mental test…"

"I see why you're concerned," Claire stated. "But we have to trust in them. There's nothing else we can do."

"Unfortunately," Matt said.

To be continued…


	5. Trial of Confrontation: Max

Unfortunately, I failed to get up any chapters this weekend because I was very busy. However, I should be able to update once a day from now on like I said before.

John: Yep, Demon Rue's screwed. At least, it seems that way. We should find out during the credits of this arc, right?

Captain Obvious: You get the picture all right. As for Will, yes, he seemed the most likely to pass now that I think about it.

**Chapter 5: Trial of Confrontation: Max**

Max was forced to wait a short while so that his vision would improve. However, when it finally did, the results were not much better.

He was standing on a sidewalk at nighttime. There were houses, but not even one window was revealing inside lights. The lamp posts lining the street were not on either. There was almost no source of light.

Almost? Max glanced around, confused as to how he could even be able to partially see. Then he turned his gaze upwards.

In the sky, there were a few scattered stars. Surprised that only a few were showing, Max quickly counted how many there were. He arrived at a total of seven. All of them were shining brightly, but one in particular nearly blinded him when he looked up at it.

"Why are there so few stars, and no moon?" Max asked out loud, and then glanced around nervously, as though his voice had broken the spell of silence on this area. However, nothing stirred.

Max looked up again, knowing he needed to figure out what the stars represented before he could move on. His eyes locked onto the brightest star again, wondering why that one in particular stood out.

After a long moment, Max shook his head. "This is hopeless…" As he said that though, he had a sudden realization. "Of course! Hope!" Once more, his gaze went to the sky. "Hope is the brightest one, while the others represent…" He thought, and then concluded, "Mom, Dad, Brandi, Chasity, Ender, and Matt… they're farther away, but I am always thinking of them. Hope is the closest to me at the moment, so her star is the brightest…"

As he said that, the lamp posts suddenly lit up, showing him that he had guessed correctly. Max hesitated, and then began to walk down the sidewalk, following his instinct on where to go.

It was some time before he left the area with houses, coming to more public buildings. He did not stop walking until he suddenly heard voices.

Across the street he was on, he saw two figures that caused him to stare in shock. One was himself, but much younger, about ten years old. The other was his father.

Max quickly looked around the area, and recognized it at once. "No… it can't be this…"

His words made no difference to the unfolding scene. Another figure, clothed completely in black, jumped out of the shadows and, speaking loudly enough for the real Max to hear, said, "Listen up, and listen well, because I'm not repeating myself. Empty all of your cash from your bank vault, and give it to me. If you do this, I won't be forced to go to drastic measures."

Randall just shook his head. "No. My family needs this money. Please, just walk away quietly, and I won't be forced to report you."

The bank robber stood still for a minute, and then suddenly drew a gun and fired. Max's father collapsed, a shower of blood falling from the wound in his chest.

The robber swore, and then fled. The younger Max was left to sit by his father's body, sobbing, crying, begging him to wake up and comfort him…

"NO!" Max shouted, his hands clenched at his sides as he shook his head furiously. "That's over with! He isn't dead anymore!" Max looked at the ground as he whispered, "I've already accepted what happened. It hurt me a lot, and remembering it still does. But Dad's alive now. Even if I did not know that…" He turned his eyes to his younger self again, who had his back to him. "I learned to live with that event! So no more!"

As he said that, the young Max and his father's corpse faded away, leaving only the blood-stained sidewalk. Still pained by what he had seen, he crossed the street to the other sidewalk, stopping in front of the red area.

"Are you so sure that you have adapted to it?"

Max swiftly turned, staring at the reflection in front of him. It was slightly different from the one he had seen before though. The original one had had red eyes, while this one had bloodshot eyes.

Horrified by those eyes he recognized, he could only watch as the bloodshot eyes slowly became pure blood-red.

"Thanatos?" Max said.

"I don't know; you tell me," Dark Max smirked. "I am a reflection of your true nature. What that means is something only you can figure out."

When Max did not respond, Dark Max continued with a sneer, his eyes changing from blood-red to bloodshot and back again several times. "You were responsible for that robber's death. Did you enjoy that moment of revenge you had? Not only that, but you caused both your mother and sister such misery by fleeing, unable to face what you had done. What of your companions? You nearly killed them too. Your guilt still clings to you, and no matter how much you try, you cannot shake it off. You never will get rid of it, no matter how much you try to delude yourself. It's amazing that the girl even pretends to like being around you-"

"That's enough," Max growled.

"What?"

Max forced himself to look into his copy's eyes. "It's true that I did all that. I did cause agony among those I care about, and I will never forget that. Thanks to my loved ones, however, I have learned what I need to do. I had to face my problems head-on, and accept what occurred while moving on. Now that I know what my mistakes are, I can move on with my life, and avoid making them again!" He glared at Dark Max as he said the last sentence, daring him to disagree.

Instead, Dark Max laughed coldly. "Whatever you say…" A Duel Disk appeared on his left arm. "I will duel if you choose to not back down."

"I won't retreat," Max stated as he drew five cards. "Fight me to the best of your ability. When I win this duel, that will prove just how weak I was back then!"

Dark Max's eyes flickered again, changing to the blood-red color. Max thought he saw a flash of annoyance, but it was quickly gone as Dark Max drew his cards too, not responding to the comment.

Max: 8000

Dark Max: 8000

"You are required to go first," Dark Max told him.

"Fine by me," Max said, making a note of the odd wording. "I lay one monster in defense mode and end my turn."

"I'll activate Sealing Swords of Darkness," Dark Max announced. Pitch black swords plunged into the ground, trapping the face down monster in its current position. "For two turns, I am safe from the monster you set. Then I summon Dweller of Darkness Shadowkiller. (1400/200) Since you only have a defense monster on the field, he attacks directly!"

The Shadowkiller slipped around the Swords of Darkness and Max's face down monster. He brought up the axe in his hand and sliced Max's chest instantly.

Max: 6600

Dark Max: 8000

Max resisted the temptation to cover the wound, knowing it would only cause the blood to go everywhere. Dark Max said, "It is your turn, if you want to continue."

"You think that will stop me?" Max said as he drew. "Sorry, but you are very wrong. I play Cyclone, destroying your Sealing Swords of Darkness. Then I flip summon Newt, raising his stats by 500! (2400/900) I also summon Demon Soldier. (1900/1500) Newt attacks Shadowkiller, and Demon Soldier assaults you directly!"

Max: 6600

Dark Max: 5100

Max watched as the attacks hit Dark Max. They did not seem to leave lasting damage, but Dark Max still seemed irritated. Max said, "I am done."

"I summon Giant Orc (2200/0) and activate Shrink on your Newt, (1450/900)" Dark Max declared. "Giant Orc attacks Newt!"

The Giant Orc ran up to Newt, smashing through it completely with its club. The weapon managed to graze Max.

Max: 5850

Dark Max: 5100

"Although my Giant Orc loses 500 attack from Newt (1700/0) that will not really matter, since it is going into defense mode. I end my turn by laying one card face down."

Feeling pain flare through his ribs, Max winced. He considered himself lucky that Shrink only split the base attack of the monster in half; he would have lost more Life Points otherwise. He looked at his hand, and then shrugged. "Might as well… I summon Twilight Zone Trainer." (100/2000)

Dark Max stared at the monster that emerged. "You are planning something."

"Maybe. I lay a card face down. Twilight Zone Trainer attacks Giant Orc!" Max said.

Dark Max flipped over his face down card. "I activate my trap, Unholy Calamity. It destroys all other magic and trap cards on the field."

"Damn!" Max growled. "I should have waited to lay that down… I lose my Torture Wheel."

"Excellent," Dark Max smirked. "Going to do anything else?"

"I attack with Demon Soldier... lay one more card down, and end my turn," Max said reluctantly. He had wanted to keep a trap in his hand for back up later, but it seemed like using it now was the best option.

Max: 5850

Dark Max: 3200

"You will regret summoning that weak monster," Dark Max stated. "I activate Early Burial, to bring back Giant Orc."

Max: 5850

Dark Max: 2400

"Then I sacrifice him for Demon King of the Underworld: Ha-Des! (2450/1600) He attacks your Twilight Zone Trainer!" Dark Max said.

The dark energy blast easily tore apart the Twilight Zone Trainer. It hit Max, causing him to nearly fall over from the force of the attack.

Max: 3400

Dark Max: 2400

"I am done after that," Dark Max told him.

"…I play Jar of Greed to draw two cards." Max knew he was as good as dead if he didn't draw something good this turn. To his relief, the cards he got were perfect. "For once, I'll be the one copying my reflection. I activate Early Burial to bring back Twilight Zone Trainer." Max felt energy leaving him as his Life Points decreased, but he held firm.

Max: 2600

Dark Max: 2400

"Then I activate Cry of the Living Dead to special summon Newt! I sacrifice Twilight Zone Trainer for End of Anubis! (2500/0) After that, I equip End of Anubis with Power of Teamwork! (4900/2400) End of Anubis attacks your Ha-Des, finishing you off!"

Max: 2600

Dark Max: 0

Dark Max's eyes changed to bloodshot ones, and then back to pure blood-red as he began to disappear. "I thought your weaknesses would make winning easy…" he said before vanishing.

Max did not want to remain in this area any longer, especially with the gruesome bloodstain behind him. Fortunately for him, the location began to fade away.

He then found himself in the forest. Although there were many trees and plants, Max did not see any other forms of life at first. Then he heard a startled gasp, and turned to the direction it had come from.

Seated on a tree branch a short distance above the ground was a young girl. Max tried to see her features, but she was out of focus, so he could not tell what she looked like.

"Is something wrong?" Max asked.

"I'm sorry," the girl replied. "You just startled me. I thought I was alone."

"It's fine." Max looked at the tree and saw it seemed easy to climb. "Mind if I join you?"

"No, go ahead," the girl said. Max responded by going up to the trunk and beginning to come up, ignoring the occasional flares of pain from the duel.

He sat on the same tree limb next to her. It was quite sturdy, and held both their weight easily. They remained silent for several minutes before Max said, "Are you here for a reason?"

The girl nodded. "Yeah. I'm really worried about something, so I wanted to be by myself for a while."

"Oh… sorry to ruin that," Max said.

"No, it's fine," the girl assured. "You couldn't have known."

"Well, since I'm already here, maybe I can help," Max suggested. "What is it that you are concerned about?"

"…You'll probably think I'm crazy when I tell you," the girl said softly.

"After all I've seen, I doubt it," Max replied. "Go ahead and tell me."

The girl slowly placed her hand over her heart. "I think there is something… inside of me… it's a power that frightens me. When I felt it… I felt an urge… an urge to kill everyone around me…" The girl looked away. "You see? I don't even have proof that anything is wrong, but I'm scared of this thing… very scared…"

When he saw she was done, Max said, "Don't worry. I believe you."

The girl turned back to Max. "Really?"

"Yes. I've had a problem like that myself," Max told her. "I hurt my friends badly, and nearly killed some of them…" Max paused, and then forced himself to continue. "I still feel guilt about it. But I've accepted what I've done and moved on."

"…Do you think… I will do the same?" the girl asked.

"Hopefully not," Max said. He smiled at her reassuringly. "You can fight the urges when they come. I might have been able to if I hadn't given up already. I won't ever know now. But I can tell that you are very strong. I have complete confidence that you can stand up to whatever is inside of you."

The girl seemed very relieved by what he had said. "Thank you. I feel a lot better now."

"I'm glad I could help." At a sudden impulse, Max said, "I can't help but admire you. I hope I have a daughter like you one day."

The girl gave him a look of amazement, and then smiled brightly. "I hope you do too, Max."

Max realized that he was vanishing. As he did, the girl suddenly came in focus for a brief second.

Max did not know why, but he was completely shocked at what he saw. Before he could say anything, however, he was gone.

…

Tenma got up from where he had been laying and growled as Max emerged from the mirror. Hope went over to him instantly, looking at the wound he had acquired worriedly. "Are you all right?"

"Yes, thanks," Max replied, forcing himself to not show any sign of the pain that he felt.

"Hey Max, I didn't know you were into astronomy," Rue joked as he saw what appeared on the mirror.

Max looked over at it to see a bright star glinting in the mirror. He said, "It was a good representation of what occurred." He glanced over at Brandi, who was exactly as he had left her. He asked Larka, "How is she doing?"

"No better, but no worse," Larka answered sadly. Max nodded in response, but said nothing else to her.

Instead, he commented, "Has anyone else gone first in their duels?"

"Yeah, I did," Rue confirmed.

"Me too," Will replied. "It is because they are reflections. They cannot move until we do. My reflection confirmed my guess when I asked."

"That explains," Max said.

Knowing the drill by now, they faced the next mirror. This time, Draken was the one who winced as his reflection appeared.

"Looks like it's your turn," Rue said with a grin. "You up for it?"

"If you can do it, so can I," Draken retorted, his nervousness vanishing in irritation.

Seeing that his comments were helping his friend, Rue continued. "Are you sure about that? It's pretty hard, you know. There's no turning back. If you want to get out of it, now's the time."

"Just wait!" Draken snapped. "I'll do fine!" He said to Darche, "I'll be back shortly, so don't worry."

"I'm more concerned about your reflection at the moment than you," Darche informed him.

"Nice to know." Draken said to the others, "See you guys shortly," and then stepped into the mirror.

…

Matt breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that Max seemed ok overall. "Whew. It turned out all right."

"Good. He was one of the ones I was most concerned with," Claire commented.

Amy was watching the scene in the lake avidly. "Draken is going in next."

Hearing that, Kisara directed her attention back to the water immediately. "Draken?"

She was just in time to see him vanish. When Amy saw that Kisara seemed very worried, she placed a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, don't worry. I'm sure he'll come through."

"I hope so," Kisara whispered.

To be continued…


	6. Trial of Amendment: Draken

This was put up a bit late today because I was busy playing Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance. I stopped at the end of chapter three, but boy am I craving for more. Still, I plan on continuing the constant updates until this arc is done with, at least. Then I can relax and play for longer periods of time.

John: Yep, that's true.

Captain Obvious: He wouldn't be able to, instead probably choosing to commit suicide by jumping off the highest cliff he could find. Hopefully it won't come to that though!

Demon Fan: The target of what now?

**Chapter 6: Trial of Amendment: Draken**

When Draken was able to see, he found himself in front of a black gate. The fence, made of the same material, continued as far as Draken could see.

Realizing the gate was probably the only way into this new area, Draken tried pushing it open. It opened easily, and he went inside, shutting the gate behind him.

"What is this place?" Draken muttered as he looked around. Ahead a short distance, he could see several objects, but could not immediately identify what they are. Whatever they were, his nervousness increased by seeing them. Still, it seemed like his best option was to find out what was up ahead. He slowly approached the objects, his hair raising as he did.

When he finally came up to one, he found it to be a stone. At first, he was puzzled, and he knelt down to take a closer look at it. His confusion was even more apparent when he saw that it was indeed a tombstone.

"I'm in a cemetery," Draken realized as he looked around at the other tombstones. "But why?"

Receiving no response, he continued to walk through the lines of graves until he came to the last row.

Draken went to the one at the end of the row to his left. He took a closer look at the words on the tombstone, and stumbled back in shock. There was nothing besides the carved name on it, but the name alone stunned him. It said Hope Gales.

"What the hell is this?" Draken whispered, horrified. He looked at the next one over, and saw it belonged to Max Driger. All of his instincts told him to run away from the area as quickly as he could. Instead, he forced himself to continue down the line. Each tombstone had a name on it his closest friends, although Sarius was once again mysteriously absent from the listings.

Very disturbed, Draken soon only had four tombstones left to look at. The one he saw next had Claire Klaus written on it. With a sinking feeling in his heart, he knew what the next one said even before he looked at it. As he suspected, it said Rue Klaus. Even though he had known it would, it still caused him to wince as though he had been hit with a physical blow.

The next one did not help matters at all. It said Kisara Kline, and it caused him to feel a deep despair.

Dreading what he would see next, he went to the final tombstone. This one was a bit different from the others. There was a black rose lying in front of it, with drops of blood clinging to the thorns. Although he was not sure why, it reminded him of Kisara. There was also an indent in the earth between the rose and the tombstone, as though someone had plunged a thin object into it and then pulled it out, leaving the narrow yet deep mark.

Then Draken looked at the name. It was Draken Drayfall.

"No!" Draken exclaimed, jumping away from it. His eyes remained fixed on the name though. He couldn't tear his gaze away, even though he was trembling in shock and fear. "This has to be an illusion… it has to be…"

As he said that, a bright flash of light came from the indent in the earth. When it faded, a brilliant silver sword was left there. Curled around the handle of the fine weapon was a small silver dragon, its wings folded flat against its back as its tiny sapphire eyes stared at Draken vividly, almost as though it were alive.

Although the sword made him a bit nervous, Draken slowly reached out his hand. He grasped the sword and pulled it out easily. Taking it in a two handed grip, he suddenly brought it down onto the tombstone.

Sparks flew everywhere from the contact of the two items, but nothing else happened. Draken brought the sword away from it, and saw he hadn't even scratched the stone.

Draken lowered the sword, shaking his head. "It's no use… no matter how much I try, I can't fight against death…" He glanced down at the dragon on the hilt of the sword. It looked exactly the same, but Draken continued to talk to it anyway, not knowing what else he could do. "I always feared death more than anything else. At first, I was afraid of it because it took… my sister from me… but then I died too." He looked away from the dragon, but could feel its jeweled eyes boring into him. "I've been completely terrified with death ever since. That's one reason I admire Rue… he always seemed fine with risking his life… he even took a death blow for Brandi." Draken smiled slightly as he thought of something else. "Maybe that was one reason I despised Fell back then. The only thing he seemed to care about was himself, just keeping himself alive… and even though I was worried about my friends… concerns about my own life overrode them." He forced himself to look back at the two sapphire eyes. "I still sometimes feel that way. Guess I'm pretty selfish, huh?"

Still the dragon did not seem to respond. But Draken thought he caught its eyes glint for a split second.

Draken turned his gaze to the tombstone. "I keep trying to fight away death. I acted carefree to hide my fears… and blocked all thoughts I had of my sister… it was too painful to try and remember… I alternated between attacking and defending in my constant battle with death…" Draken knew then what he had to do. He took the sword and slid it back into the ground. "That's not a fight I can win. Someday, I'm going to lose to him. But worrying about it won't help… so I'll accept it when it comes." His eyes went back to the dragon's. "Hear that? I'm still going to have a good amount of fear when it comes to death; I would be a fool not to. But that terror will not force me to hesitate when I am fighting for a worthy cause, such as for my friends!"

After a moment of silence, the sapphire eyes of the dragon began to glow. Draken stepped back as the ground in front of the sword began to slide away. It stopped after a moment, leaving a hole that was just large enough for Draken to enter.

The hole was a bit unnerving, but Draken was sure that it meant he had done the right thing. He glanced at the sword one last time before saying, "Here goes nothing!" He jumped into the hole.

He emerged from it quickly, landing in front of a house. Now it was early evening.

Draken stared in shock at the house. "It's our old home…"

As he realized that, he heard someone approaching. He turned, and was again astonished when he saw who it was.

"Is that me?" Draken said in awe as his younger self, about eight from Draken's guess, ran towards the door. Unsure on what was happening, he followed the young Draken.

That Draken flung open the door. The real Draken barely managed to get inside before the other Draken closed it. Then he yelled, "Sis! I'm home!"

Draken's eyes widened. "Is this… what I think it is?"

The younger Draken, not receiving a response, frowned to himself. "Sis?" Then he began to walk towards what Draken knew would be the family room.

"It can't be…" Draken whispered, following his younger counterpart.

But his guess had been right. Upon entering the family room, he heard the other Draken gasp. At the same time, he saw his sister, lying on the floor while bleeding.

"Sis!" the other Draken cried, running over to her. He began to shake her shoulder. "Please, say something!"

The real Draken could only watch in horror as the girl slowly opened one of her eyes. She attempted to speak, but then began to cough up blood.

"Hold on! I'll call the hospital!" the young Draken assured.

His sister managed to say, "…Don't… it's too late…" She coughed again, spilling more blood on the already-soaked carpet. "I'm dying…"

"You can't be!" Draken said desperately. "You're the only one I have left! Don't go, sis!"

The girl smiled weakly. "I'm… sorry…" After a pause, she slowly managed to lift her hand, indicating to the table near her. "Please… take those…"

Both Drakens looked there to see three Blue Eyes White Dragons lying on the table.

"I wanted… to make a Blue Eyes deck… for you… since… it is… your favorite," his sister said softly. "Now… it's too late. Take those Blue Eyes… and make me proud… win all the duels you fight. I know you can…"

The younger Draken could only watch as she said, "Draken… I… I love you…" Then she shuddered, and collapsed.

Draken knew that his younger counterpart knew exactly what had happened. He picked up the cards with his left hand, which had not been stained in blood. He looked at the cards, then at his sister, and burst into tears. "DAINA!"

Barely resisting the urge to cry too, Draken approached them. But they both vanished, leaving him alone in the bloody room.

"I haven't thought about what happened in ages…" Draken whispered. "It was too painful to remember. But… that was wrong of me…" Draken put his hand to his deck and drew his three Blue Eyes White Dragons off the top. He stared at his most valued cards, and then turned his gaze to where his sister had lain. "Daina… I'm sorry. I had the completely wrong reaction to what happened. You must have been horrified at what I had become…" He smiled sadly as he looked at his cards again. "I've learned from my mistakes though. I've amended for those sins as best as I can and I will continue to do so until I die. My years of being a General of Hell… I acted completely out of character. Being defeated opened my eyes." He slipped the three cards back into his deck. "You don't have to worry anymore. I will make you proud, just as you wanted me to."

"Aw, how touching. If I had a heart, I'm sure it would go out to you."

Draken turned to see his reflection, a smirk on his face. Annoyed at the interruption, Draken said, "Thanks, but I'm fine. I feel better than I have for a long time, actually. So why don't you leave so I can stay in a good mood?"

"Since when is it that easy?" Dark Draken asked as a Duel Disk appeared on his left arm. "You will have to defeat me first."

"If that's what it takes to make you go away, I'm fine with it!" Draken said.

Draken: 8000

Dark Draken: 8000

"I go first, right?" Draken assumed.

"Yes. It seems you have caught on to our nature," Dark Draken observed.

"I'd say so. I summon Kaiser Seahorse, (1750/1600) lay one card down, and end my turn," Draken said.

"Then I will summon Spear Dragon (1900/0) and attack your Kaiser Seahorse!" Dark Draken declared.

Draken instantly flipped over his trap card. "I activate Attack Nullification. Your Spear Dragon stays in attack mode, but I can deal with that next turn."

"Why don't you show me? I'm done," Dark Draken said.

"All right, I will!" Draken answered. "I sacrifice Kaiser Seahorse for Blue Eyes White Dragon! (3000/2500) He attacks your Spear Dragon! Then it's your turn."

Draken: 8000

Dark Draken: 6900

"It will not be as simple as you hoped," Dark Draken told him. "I activate Theft, taking your Blue Eyes! Then I play Fusion, combining your Blue Eyes with the two in my hand to form Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon!" (4500/4200)

"Why is it that every time I manage to get Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon out, it never actually does anything for me, yet when my opponent has it, it always helps them?" Draken complained.

Dark Draken ignored his comments. "Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon will attack you directly."

The three-headed dragon formed an immense ball of white energy before firing a large beam at Draken. He cried out in pain as it connected, consuming him.

Draken: 3500

Dark Draken: 6900

"Do you want to go on?" Dark Draken smirked.

"What do you think?" Draken snapped. Somehow, he had managed to remain standing, even though he now looked a lot worse for the wear.

"I will take that as a yes. It is your turn," Dark Draken said.

Draken was rather pleased with his next draw. "I play Lord of Dragons-Dragon Ruler! (1200/1100) Then I activate Dragon Calling Horn, to special summon a Blue Eyes White Dragon and a Sapphire Dragon! (1900/1600) After that, I play Burst Stream of Destruction!"

The Blue Eyes on Draken's field instantly sent forth a white energy blast of its own. Although it did not look as impressive as the Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon's attack, the stronger monster was torn apart.

"Since my Blue Eyes can't attack after that, I'll have Sapphire Dragon and Lord of Dragons attack you directly. I'm done."

Draken: 3500

Dark Draken: 3800

"I have a counter for that as well," Dark Draken said. "I lay one monster in defense mode and end my turn."

"I attack it with my Blue Eyes!" Draken declared.

"You destroyed my own Kaiser Seahorse," Dark Draken stated. "Is that all?"

"I switch Lord of Dragons to defense mode and end my turn," Draken said.

"All I can do is lay another monster in defense mode…"

"Not getting very far, are you?" Draken looked at his next card in surprise. "Oh yeah, I forgot I had added this. I play a ritual card, White Dragon Descent! By sacrificing my Lord of Dragons, I special summon Knight of White Dragon!" (1900/1200)

"You just added that to your deck?" his reflection said in disbelief as the shining knight appeared.

"When I was waiting for my turn, I realized I wouldn't have Darche with me, so I could not summon my Knight of White Dragons freely," Draken explained. "I put in a couple of White Dragon Descents from my side deck just in case they were needed. Anyway, I attack your defense monster with Blue Eyes!"

"Dol Dora…" (1500/1200)

"Sapphire Dragon attacks, and Knight of White Dragon finishes you off!" Draken declared.

Draken: 3500

Dark Draken: 0

"I did not think… I would lose… so easily, if at all…" Dark Draken growled as he faded away.

Draken looked around the room, unsure of where to go next. His problem was solved when the room vanished too. After a moment, he emerged into a familiar location.

He was sitting on a ledge near the top of a tall mountain. He had gone to this location before; it was a great spot to see dragons and other flying creatures soar by. It also provided a nice view of the land below.

At the moment, however, the skies were clear of life. Draken looked around, and started when he saw that he was sitting next to someone. It was a young boy, but to Draken's confusion, he was out of focus. Draken blinked, and then tried to rub his eyes with the back of his gloved hand. It did not change the boy's appearance.

The boy seemed unaware of Draken's dilemma. He turned towards him and said, "I'm surprised that you are actually up here. Most people get frightened and want to get off almost immediately, you know?"

"I'm an exception of sorts," Draken replied, feeling strange since he couldn't even see the face of the person he was speaking to. Despite his hesitations, he leaned back against the rocks, his arms behind his head. "Heights don't bother me."

"Nice to know I'm not the only one." The boy copied his pose.

"How long have you been up here?" Draken inquired.

"A while," the boy shrugged. "I haven't been keeping track of the time."

"Nowhere urgent to be?" Draken assumed.

"Not really… but my friends might be wondering where I am," the boy admitted.

Draken raised an eyebrow. "Shouldn't you get back to them soon then?"

"Probably," the boy said. "I don't feel ready to though."

"How come?" Draken asked.

The boy seemed to be looking away awkwardly. "I've had some concerns I wanted to sort out. That's all."

"Want to tell me what they are?" Draken suggested.

"…I guess," the boy finally responded. "You see, my friends and I are fighting for an important cause. But they all have reasons for why they're helping. I feel like I'm the only one who doesn't."

"You don't know why you are fighting?" Draken asked.

"Exactly," the boy sighed. "I feel like deadweight for them sometimes, which also makes me feel guilty. I don't like thinking along those lines. But until I figure out what my purpose is, I'll keep thinking like that."

After a moment of silence, Draken said, "Are you fighting to help your friends?"

The boy gave Draken what he assumed to be an exasperated glance. "Of course I am!"

"Then there's your answer," Draken stated.

"…That's it?" the boy said, sounding doubtful. "Is it really that simple?"

"Do you need a complex reason to fight?" Draken retorted. "I for one am not participating in my battles for revenge or something like that. I just participate so I can help my friends reach their goals. The most important thing to me is assisting them in reaching the most important thing to them. What's wrong with that?"

Again, there was a pause. Then the boy said, "I never saw it that way."

Draken shrugged. "I could be wrong. Maybe there's more to you than I can see. However, I was reminded of myself when I saw you, so I suggested it. That's all. You'll have to figure out whether I'm right or not yourself."

"Fair enough," the boy replied. "Thanks for helping."

"No problem." Draken turned his gaze to the clear sky. "So, I take it you like flying?"

The boy seemed to grin. "No, I don't like it; I love it."

That got a laugh out of Draken. "Good answer! If that's the case, then I should see you around. Let's fly together sometime."

The boy nodded. "I would like that, Draken."

With that, the mountains began to disappear. As they did, Draken caught sight of the boy's true appearance for a split second.

As darkness enclosed him, he realized he had somehow not been surprised at all by how the boy looked. What it meant was another story.

…

"I return in triumph," Draken announced as he came out of the mirror.

"You owe me a dollar," Miles said to Rue.

"Darn it," Rue growled.

"You made bets over whether I was going to come out alive or not? What great friends I have!" Draken said sarcastically.

"Nah, we actually made a bet over whether you'd come out still standing or if you'd collapse on the floor, at the end of your strength," Miles informed him. "I bet on the former."

"I'll pay you once we get back to real life," Rue sighed. Then he directed to Draken, "Either way, at least you made it through."

"You do not seem to be very harmed," Darche commented. Still, his tone betrayed a bit of relief.

"I got hit by a major attack in the duel, but that's about it," Draken said.

Gaston was looking at the image that had appeared on the mirror. "Interesting object you have."

Draken turned to see what he meant. It was the sword from the cemetery, with the dragon around its handle, sapphire eyes still gleaming.

"Interesting is a good way to put it," Draken agreed. "So, who's next?"

Everyone looked at the next mirror. A moment later, the reflection appeared.

"I'm doomed," was all Miles said as he stared into the blood-red eyes of his copy.

"Don't look so worried. Rue got through it, didn't he? So it can't be that bad," Draken joked.

"And you were surprised that I gambled on your life?" Rue muttered.

"Yeah. I didn't think you'd sink that low," Draken said with a grin.

"You thought wrong," Rue replied.

"Yeesh. I'll be glad to face the trial just to get away from you two," Miles commented. He turned to Gen. "You going to be all right with them?"

"Of course," Gen said. "You know how patient I am."

"Unfortunately," Miles grumbled.

"Be careful though," Gen cautioned. "You emerged from the ordeal in the church in a state similar to Brandi's. I don't want that to happen again."

Miles glanced at Brandi, who had still not moved. "Yeah. Don't worry, I'll be fine." Then he went into the mirror.

Gen sighed. "By now, you would think he would know that it is my nature to worry."

…

Kisara could not help but smile when Draken finally reemerged, looking fine.

"See? That wasn't so bad," Amy said.

"But this is," Matt stated as Miles went forward. "Didn't he have a large problem with that ordeal they discussed from when they were trying to get Obelisk?"

"Yeah," Claire confirmed, looking concerned. "Let's hope he has gotten over the problem, whatever it is, by now."

To be continued…


	7. Trial of Courage: Miles

Ok, I admit it. Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance consumed my life. I even started writing an FAQ for it. I just needed some time to work on something else. I've learned that forcing myself to write something I'm not in the mood to work on only results in low quality chapters. That may seem obvious, but it is an important thing to keep in mind. Either way, I'm back in action and more than ready to continue this arc. Hopefully, it will be done soon.

John: Um… ok. Other than Switch fun, yes, you must BEG. BEG I SAY! …Yeah, that was a joke.

Captain Obvious: Imperial Decree seems to have been… paid for. Go figure.

**Chapter 7: Trial of Courage: Miles**

Dreading what he was about to see, Miles slowly opened his eyes.

The area was not nearly as threatening as he had feared. Instead, it was merely a small, stone room. The wall in front of him had two wooden doors. The one to his left was closed, but did not have a lock. The one to the right did.

"What is this supposed to be?" Miles said out loud, looking at the doors warily. There was no response to his words.

"…Well, this one seems to be unlocked…" Miles went up to the left door, and touched the handle lightly. When nothing happened, he carefully pulled it open.

The sight that met his eyes was completely unexpected for him. Instead of being in another room, he found himself staring at several trees. The area was carpeted with emerald green grass, and the trees had matching leaves. Sunlight seeped in through the foliage, leaving few shadows, none that were threatening. It was completely silent, but in a tranquil manner.

The forest looked like a sanctuary, especially when compared to the room he was in. Miles was tempted to step outside at once. But something held him back. He frowned, trying to put a finger on what was bothering him. Eventually, he came to the conclusion that although the forest appeared to be safe, it certainly did not… feel that way.

"I must be losing it," Miles muttered. The uneasy feeling did not fade though, and he reluctantly closed the door. Then he looked at the other one. The metal lock was old, and the keyhole was fairly large.

Miles considered his options. "This wouldn't be hard to open… but maybe I should be going the other way. It wasn't barred from me, after all." He thought for a moment, and then reached to his pouch and took out a lock pick. "I guess I can at least take a look inside before deciding."

The lock turned out to be much harder to pick than he expected. Although it certainly seemed worn from use, he could not seem to open it. But Miles kept working at it, feeling slightly frustrated at the time it was taking up but determined to make sure he was not missing anything important.

Finally, the lock clicked open. He removed it from the door, setting it by the back wall. He slowly opened the door.

It revealed a dark hallway, barely lit with a torch a distance away from the door. It certainly did not seem as appealing as the forest. Miles tried to see beyond the torch, but found it impossible to penetrate the darkness.

"…I don't like the looks of this…" Miles said. He took a short step forward to try and see farther.

It was his instinct and good reflexes that saved him. Before he could even realize what the noise he heard was, he had thrown himself back into the room, narrowly avoiding a huge gray switchblade that crashed into the floor where he had been standing. It slowly rose back into the wall as Miles watched it with wide eyes.

"That thing nearly killed me!" Miles exclaimed, trembling from shock. After a few deep breaths, he was able to calm himself and rise. He looked down the dark hallway again, and shook his head. "No way. No way am I trying that path again."

Yet he was getting another feeling from the hall, as though that was the right way to go. Miles turned to the door leading to the forest, but did not open it. When he raised his hand to do so, the forbidding feeling he had had returned with full force.

"Why do I want to go down the obviously more dangerous path so much?" Miles said. When he still got no answer, he sighed. "I should try the left door. It'd be a lot easier to get somewhere without worrying about being split in half…"

Miles trailed off as he realized what he had just said. "…It's easier. I remember the last time I thought that, and it certainly didn't end the way I wanted it to." He shook his head slowly. "I wanted to have my memory erased, so I could take the easy way out of what I had done… and look how that turned out." Miles stared at the door that lead to the forest, and suddenly kicked it. "Screw that. I'm not falling for it again!" Before he could change his mind, he ran into the other door, which was still open.

Knowing that speed was essential, he forced himself to keep running, right past the flickering torch, as he heard the clatter of blades hitting the stone floor. Even as he entered the darkness in the hallway, he did not slow.

_If I run into a corner, or a dead end, I'm finished,_ Miles thought as he went on. _Stupid as always, huh?_

At that moment, Miles crashed into something solid. He fell onto his rear, wincing from the painful collision. …_Like that. I went and jinxed myself. Go me._ Then he braced himself for another blade to come down.

However, nothing happened. He heard the blades from down the hallway slowly rising, but nothing more. He breathed a sigh of relief. "Talk about… a close shave…" he managed to say, laughing weakly.

When Miles finally felt ready to move on, he stood up and felt the surface in front of him. It was wood, and he soon found the handle for the door. "Let's see if I chose the right path…" Miles said. Then he hit himself lightly over the head. "Duh, I chose the right path… not like I went left… ok, let's see if I chose the correct path. Why am I talking to myself, anyway? And here I thought Rue was weird." He paused, and then said, "Because I'm nervous. People talk to themselves when scared, right? Well… maybe… but does it really matter? I'm just stalling by doing this." He forced himself to fling the door open.

Miles found himself staring at a beach. He blinked a few times. "Ok, that wasn't what I expected…" He stepped onto the sand. The doorway behind him vanished, leaving no trace of having ever been there.

"Um… why exactly am I here?" Miles said, looking around. As he did, he caught sight of a building that caused him to freeze.

He recognized it instantly, even though it had been over a month since he had last seen the house. Still shocked at what he was witnessing, he walked to the front of the house.

Just as he came in sight of it, he saw himself run out of the front door. The other Miles glanced around quickly, and then quickly locked the door. He retreated a safe distance away from it, watching the house.

After a few minutes, smoke began to come from it. Miles saw his past self staring at it with glittering eyes, and could vividly remember how he had felt at that moment. He had realized what a fool he had been, thinking that the best way out would be to betray the only friends he had… How he had thought of nobody but himself, and his own cowardly wishes…

Miles was torn from his thoughts as he heard a chilling voice say, "Admiring the results of your actions?"

Both of them turned to see Thanatos, who had walked up to the other Miles. That Miles said, "Not admiring. Regretting. I wish I had never even considered doing this."

"Wishes… they are merely a small spot of light, of hope, in a dark room that soon consumes them. Wishes are pointless." Thanatos stepped towards the past Miles. "Now… my part of the deal." He activated his Duel Disk.

"What are you doing?" that Miles asked.

"You wanted your memory erased, correct? Then I will get rid of it for you. Once you die, you will not care about what you have done here," Thanatos smirked.

"I should have known it would come to this…" Miles sighed. "If you were going to kill the whole group, why not me too? But I won't take it lying down. If I defeat you, maybe I can at least save you, Max…"

Thanatos cut him off. "Max is dead. Why do you act as though he still exists?"

"I thought the real Miles was dead, until I saw the truth of my past. And now I'm what I was before-a coward that tries to earn what I want through the most dishonorable ways! Maybe this time I can act as the alternate persona I had though," Miles declared. Yet his eyes now betrayed his fear. And Thanatos knew it.

"All the more fun for me. I prefer to play with my food before I eat it, and the only food I consume is death," Thanatos said with a sneer.

But before the duel could begin, both Thanatos and the past Miles faded away, leaving Miles alone on the beach.

"Why… why did I see that?" Miles stammered. "I thought… I was going to see my village… burn down again…" He trailed off as he watched the fire in the house slowly grow, greedily devouring it as it spread.

"…They said they faced their worst memories. And they're right. Although I didn't realize it until now… this is my worst memory," Mile said softly. "It's like Gen said. What I had done that night was unintentional. What I did here was consciously done. I knew what the results would be." He shook his head. "Never again… I promised I would never betray them, never run away from my actions, never try to hide them again… and I will keep that promise."

"How do you know that?"

Miles turned to face his reflection, which had appeared behind him. "Because I am now content with who I am. I made more mistakes than most… and I regretted them. I still do. But I admit I made those mistakes, and I will not make them again. I know the consequences for failing to uphold my words, so I will not fail."

"Can you really do that?" his reflection asked. "Do you think a coward such as yourself can really do that?"

"…I was a coward. I was always afraid, and tried to run from my fears," Miles said. "But now I face them. Courage is when you have fears, but you act regardless of them. I have learned that." He turned on his Duel Disk. "I know that now, and I will live up to the definition of that!"

Dark Miles smirked. "How… motivating. Let us see if you really mean that." A Duel Disk appeared on his left hand at his words. Without another word, they both drew five cards.

Miles: 8000

Dark Miles: 8000

"You should know by now that you go first," Dark Miles stated.

"Yep. I lay a monster face down and two other cards," Miles said. "Your turn."

"I will gladly take it," Dark Miles said with a sneer. "This hand is actually quite good. I summon Troop Commander. (1200/400) Using his effect, I special summon Century Thief. (1000/1000) I lay one card down, and attack with Troop Commander!"

Miles watched the Troop Commander slice into his monster. "You've destroyed my Falcon Knight." (1000/700)

"Then my Century Thief attacks!"

The thief, grinning wickedly, was in front of Miles before he could react. The Century Thief landed a hard blow on his stomach, causing him to stagger back, coughing as he tried to regain his breath.

Miles: 7000

Dark Miles: 8000

"As for Century Thief's effect, I will call… Demon Axe," Dark Miles said.

"…Was that from cheating or from pure luck?" Miles grumbled, showing him his hand. It had Demon Axe, another Falcon Knight, and Force.

"I use the same deck as you," Dark Miles pointed out. "I figured a magic card would be a safe pick, and since you have three Demon Axes, I chose that. You don't have three copies of any other magic card in your deck."

"True," Miles admitted, discarding his Demon Axe. "Anything else?"

"No. It is your turn," Dark Miles decided.

As Miles drew, Dark Miles said, "But now I will activate my trap card, Mind Crush. I call Force."

"…You know you suck when you're getting owned by your own deck," Miles stated, discarding the Force from his hand.

Dark Miles smirked at that. "Will you be doing anything this turn?"

"I'll place a monster in defense mode. That's it," Miles said.

"Acting to my nature, I'll copy you," Dark Miles sneered, laying his own monster face down. "Then I attack your defense monster with Troop Commander."

"My second Falcon Knight, as you probably guessed."

"Then I attack directly with Century Thief, and call Cyclone."

Miles: 6000

Dark Miles: 8000

Once Miles recovered from the second brutal blow, he showed Dark Miles the Magic Box of Death in his hand. "Tough luck."

Dark Miles shrugged. "Oh well. I am done."

"Good. Now I can go on the offensive," Miles declared after he saw what he had drawn. "I summon Surprising Matasa! (1300/800) Then I flip over my trap card, Thieving Goblin. Matasa attacks Troop Commander, and then he attacks Century Thief!"

Both of the monsters were cut to pieces by Matasa's blade, leaving only the face down card on Dark Miles' field.

Miles: 6000

Dark Miles: 7600

"That forces you to discard two cards from your hand. So get rid of your left and right cards," Miles said.

"I am forced to discard my own Falcon Knight and Gravity Bind," Dark Miles stated. "Not like either matter. Falcon Knight would be destroyed easily and Gravity Bind would have no use on you. Now, is it my turn?"

"Yes," Miles replied.

Dark Miles eyed his hand, looking slightly annoyed. "I lay one card face down and end my turn."

Miles drew, and then grinned. "You're going to hate me for this. I play Cyclone, destroying the card you just set."

"I hated you before that," Dark Miles said. "I still do. You destroyed my Tidal Wave."

"Awesome. I attack your face down monster with Matasa!" Miles declared.

"It is my Soul-Hunting Spirit," (300/200) Dark Miles announced, flipping it up.

"Darn. I'll need something to get rid of that," Miles sighed. "I'm done."

"…I pass," Dark Miles growled, glaring at his new card.

"Then I'll take this opportunity to deal a good amount of damage," Miles said. "I equip your Soul-Hunting Spirit with Theft, destroying it. Then Surprising Matasa attacks you directly twice! Thieving Goblin forces you to discard the two cards in your hand."

Miles: 6000

Dark Miles: 5000

"…I lose my other Troop Commander and another Gravity Bind," Dark Miles stated.

"Ok. I'll end my turn," Miles decided.

As Dark Miles tried to draw, Miles said, "I will now activate my other trap card, Lost Property."

Dark Miles glared at him. "…My Attack Nullification is gone. I pass."

Miles looked at the card he had drawn. "Hm… I attack you directly two more times with Matasa and end my turn."

Miles: 6000

Dark Miles: 2400

"…This is a feeble last effort," Dark Miles said. "I lay one card down. That's it."

The card Miles drew now caused him to smile. "I'll summon White Thief." (1000/700)

"It looks like I'll live for another turn," Dark Miles stated. "I activate Destruction Ring on your Matasa, destroying him!"

Miles: 4700

Dark Miles: 1100

"Hate to break it to you, but I was ready for something like that," Miles said. "I equip White Thief with Power of Teamwork, raising his stats by 800! (1800/1500) He attacks directly!"

The White Thief sped forward, punching Dark Miles in a manner similar to how Century Thief had attacked. This attack actually tore a hole through Dark Miles though, showing how much the previous attacks had weakened him.

Miles: 4700

Dark Miles: 0

"How… could I lose… to you?" Dark Miles groaned, falling to his knees. Then he was gone, leaving Miles alone on the beach.

"…Because you suck?" Miles said, even though he knew his reflection was not about to hear him. "They always say the original is better than the copy. Most of the time, anyway."

Miles would have probably continued to talk to himself, but the land around him was beginning to fade away.

He soon found himself in a completely unfamiliar area. It seemed like he was in the ring of a coliseum. That was the assumption he made from the appearance of the place, at least. The design of the location was similar in many ways to pictures he had seen of them. The stands were empty though.

He was about to walk to the stands to explore the new area when he suddenly heard someone say, "Do you need something?"

Miles turned to where he had heard the voice come from. He had been wrong about the stands being completely vacant. A short distance away, a boy sat on the last row of stands. Miles tried to see what he looked like, but could not make out any details. He was out of focus; that was the only way Miles could describe it.

"I'm a bit… lost," Miles said, unable to think of a better excuse.

The boy laughed at that, but not in an unkindly way. "I thought so. There really isn't any other reason someone else would come here when the fights are not happening."

"Fights?" Miles went over to where he was, looking up at him over the wall.

"Yeah. What, you haven't seen one yet?" the boy said in surprise.

"Afraid not," Miles replied.

"Huh… I thought everyone who went to Teknisk Wereld would at least know of them by now." The boy shrugged. "That shows how much I know." Then he indicated to the area next to him. "Want to talk for a while?"

"Sure. I've got nowhere urgent to be," Miles said. In a way, that was true. He got the feeling that he had to do something with this boy in order to return to the group. So Miles attempted to pull himself over the wall. However, he was a bit shorter than the wall. "Um…"

"Oh, sorry. Hardly anyone can get up here like that," the boy said, getting up. He went over to the wall and reached down with his right arm. Miles took his hand, but then let go of it abruptly.

The boy, noticing his reaction, backed away. "Ah… I didn't mean to…"

"What happened to your hand?" Miles asked. "It felt… weird."

"…It symbolizes something I did a long time ago," the boy said, looking away. "I… still haven't come to terms with it."

"Why?" Miles inquired.

"…Someone else is involved. He has not come to terms with what happened. Until he does, I'm caught in this too," the boy stated.

"Was this act you did… very horrible?" Miles said.

The boy slowly nodded. "Very."

"And you're blaming yourself for it?" Miles assumed.

"Yes," the boy replied.

Miles thought for a moment before speaking. "…Well, let me just say this. The fact that you're admitting you did it is a good first step. I have been guilty too… I killed many people that I did not want to, and betrayed my friends. But I tried to deny the fact that I was a murderer."

"Really?" the boy asked.

"Yes. When I had done my traitorous act, I finally came to my senses and accepted what I had done as fact," Miles said. "It took me some time to do that… but you already have. That's good. But remember this. Although you may feel responsible to what has occurred, do not place all the blame on yourself."

The boy gazed at him doubtfully. "Why do you say that?"

"I can tell that you would never do anything like you describe without good reason," Miles stated. "I highly doubt whatever you did was entirely your fault. Do not deny your part in it, but do not over exaggerate either."

"…That is good advice," the boy said, seeming intrigued by what he had just been told.

"Even I can come up with some once in a while," Miles replied with a grin. "I'm sure you'll come to terms with your problem. When you do, tell me about it. Until then… do well in your fights."

The boy smiled in return. "I will. Hopefully, we'll see each other again sometime soon, Miles."

As he said that, the coliseum was covered with darkness. As that happened, Miles was able to see what the boy looked like for a moment before he vanished too.

Miles blinked, thinking about what he had seen. _Uh… who the hell was that?_ Then he shrugged. _Oh well. He seemed like a nice enough guy._

…

"He lives!" Rue said as Miles emerged.

Gen was by him instantly. "Are you all right?"

Miles smiled at him reassuringly. "Yep. It went fine."

"Good," Gen said, looking very relieved.

"Hey, look at that. Even the mirror knows you're a thief at heart," Draken laughed, indicating to the mirror.

They looked at it and saw an opened lock, identical to the one Miles had picked to get into the right door.

"Very funny," Miles said, rolling his eyes. "But I can understand why that came up."

Then they faced the next mirror, waiting tensely for another reflection to appear. After a moment, Daine growled softly.

"…So I am to go," Fell stated, gazing at his dark self.

"Brother…" Larka looked like she wanted to say something to him, but merely said, "Be careful…"

"…I will," Fell said to her, before looking at Daine. "It will not take long."

"I hope to see you soon," Daine replied solemnly before sitting down on the floor.

"You will do fine," Zack said as Fell approached the mirror.

Fell paused, and gave a brief nod before stepping into the mirror, vanishing.

Larka's grip on Brandi tightened. "I hope he'll be ok…"

"He has grown stronger," Zack assured her. "I am sure there is nothing to worry about."

"Stronger? You can tell? This whole time, I just viewed him as a generally bad guy to tick off," Miles said.

"Physically, I would not know," Zack replied. "But mentally… he has. Very much so."

…

"So, my worries about him were unnecessary," Matt stated as Miles appeared, looking none worse for the wear.

"That's good. I was worried about what would happen with him," Claire admitted.

"They have all had time to face their problems," Sarius stated. "Except for Brandi, it seems. Even Miles was able to resolve what he had to."

"Yeah. I wouldn't be concerned with how the others will do…" Amy watched as Fell went into the next mirror. "…Especially him."

"Ah… now here is one I was waiting to see," Sarius said with a small smile. "I would be highly surprised if he does not make it."

"…We'll see," is all Claire said, watching the lake avidly.

To be continued…


	8. Trial of Emotions: Fell

Writing roll! I love writing rolls!

John: Yeah.

Captain Obvious: Skill Drain wouldn't help him much. Oh no, Gilford falls down a Bottomless Pit Trap! Kuribo's reign has not ended!

**Chapter 8: Trial of Emotions: Fell**

Fell found himself in darkness when he arrived at his destination. It was nighttime, and where he was, the only thing to provide light were the countless stars.

Pushing that concern out of his mind, Fell looked around where he was. He stood in front of the forest, nearby the lake. There was a cool breeze, making the only sounds he could hear the faint whisper of the wind and the quiet movements of the water.

That was what concerned Fell. Even at this time of night, he should have been hearing the noises of random monsters, if nothing else. He cocked his ear towards the forest, listening. But he seemed to be the only one there.

Feeling uneasy, he went to the lake, which was lit up from the reflection of the many stars. He went to the water and looked into it.

With a jolt, Fell leapt away from it, his heart pounding. Then he slowly looked into it again.

The reflection he saw was no different than the first time. Its fingernails were longer, like claws, and its teeth like fangs. Its hair was longer, and its eyes were blood-red.

Fell quickly looked at his hands, wondering if he had somehow transformed into his werewolf form without knowing it. But they looked the same as usual. He glanced at the reflection again, but it had not changed.

"What is this supposed to mean?" Fell muttered. Still concerned at what it could be implying, he looked up at the sky again.

This time, he saw the moon. As he did, he felt a sharp pain go through his body. It was a full moon.

_No! Not now! _Fell growled as he felt the changes slowly begin to affect him. _I can't give into this…_

Despite how he tried to control it, he could feel the power from the moon overtaking him. His body was almost completely transformed. The only thing left normal was his eyes, which were flickering between yellow and red.

Fell could clearly remember the last time he had been in his werewolf state. He had butchered innocents in the town, had enjoyed doing it… and he had nearly killed Rue. Fell winced as pain shot through him again, but for more reasons than that. He could clearly remember what he had said to Larka when she had asked him why he had not responded to what he had done.

"_We have two paths to choose from; one of pain and one of nothing. The painful one comes from friends. You feel happiness, but you also feel as though your heart is torn apart when they leave. I've had enough pain already… I took the road where, with no allies, comes no sorrow. I feel no regret about what I did-and nobody can force me to."_

Fell considered those words. _I always thought I had devoted myself to that path of nothingness. Yet I had not. Even back then… I cared that I had killed the ones I had. I acted as though I didn't, and my act was so well rehearsed that I even made myself believe I didn't. How odd… the one I was fooling most was myself. Despite my doubts… I feel loyal to them. _Another wave of agony nearly caused his eyes to become permanently red. Fell began to focus his attention completely on forcing his werewolf side away. _This would never work on a real full moon… but in this illusionary world, perhaps it will…_

After much effort mentally, the werewolf effects finally began to fade. His body was slowly returning back to its normal form. He continued to fight the power until it was finally gone, leaving him exhausted but satisfied.

The reflection of the moon on the water, which landed nearby the shore, suddenly became black as the water parted there, leaving a hole. Fell knew that to go on, he would have to leap into it. He did so, plunging into the darkness.

Fell finally landed, and found himself inside a hallway. It was rather plain, with white walls, tan carpet, and nothing else. Despite how plain it was, Fell was almost sure he knew this place.

Anticipation flooding through him, Fell slowly walked to the end of the hallway. He came into a room that also did not have much. There was a table in the center of the room and four chairs around it. That was about it.

But then Fell saw a boy sitting in one of the chairs. With a jolt, he recognized the boy's black hair and brown eyes.

"…That is… me." Fell looked around the room again, and he realized why it seemed so familiar. "This is where we lived… before…"

He was cut off as he heard a door open and shut. Then a young girl, with silver hair and brown eyes identical to Fell's in color, ran up to him.

"…Larka…" Fell said softly as the younger version of his sister went to his other self. He could see that she was holding several flowers, with a red rose in the center of them.

"Brother! Why are you just sitting in here?" Larka asked, gazing at him with concern.

"What's the point in going out?" Fell said. "Mother and Father don't let us out for long."

"They're so overprotective," Larka agreed with a frown. "Why?"

Fell shrugged. "No idea. Maybe that's why we move so much though."

Larka turned her eyes to the flowers she held. "Maybe… but it's still hard…"

"I know you want friends," Fell said, looking downcast. "I do too. But this is the way things are. We aren't even like other kids our age. Most would be in school by now, yet we aren't…"

Larka slowly nodded. "Will they ever tell us why?"

"…I don't know." Fell got up and went over to her, placing his hand over hers. "We'll make it though. At least we have each other, until we can understand what this is all about."

Larka smiled in return. "Yeah, you're right. Thanks."

But after she said that, a sudden crash caused them both to spin around. Before either of them could say anything about it, a man wearing a dark outfit ran into the room.

"There you two are!" the man said with a smirk. He advanced on them, saying, "Just do as I say and you won't be hurt…"

The younger Fell could easily tell that the man wasn't about to keep his word though. As the man approached Larka, who was watching him fearfully, Fell sprang forward, grabbing onto the man's arm and biting into it.

That move caught the man off guard. He yelled out, and then slammed his fist into Fell's head. Although he looked dazed from the strike, Fell didn't let go of the assailant. Larka was completely terrified by now. She slowly backed away, the flowers falling from her frozen hands as she did.

The man struck Fell two more times. This was far too much for the boy. His grip finally loosened, and the man tore him off, throwing him into a wall. Fell slumped over, nearly unconscious.

"Did you have to be so rough?" said a voice from the hallway to the front door. The real Fell recognized who it was instantly, even before he stepped into the room.

"The brat deserved it!" the man snarled. Fell was able to now tell that he was the guard who had been killed a week before he and Larka had escaped from the laboratory.

"Do you think I care?" Viken snapped in return. "After all the time it took to track down these two, I do not want them being damaged. Understand?"

The guard was well aware that making Viken angry was a bad idea. He backed down, muttering, "I'm sorry, sir."

"You're forgiven… this time." As Viken said that, a second man stepped in. That was the guard that had died by Fell's hand. Viken indicated to Larka. "Seize her. But do it more gently than he did."

The second guard nodded and went up to her. Larka shrank away, pressing herself into a nearby corner as he approached.

"Just cooperate and I will not harm you," the man said as he came closer to her. "Come with us, quietly."

"No… I won't! Keep away from me! Brother!" Larka cried.

In response, Fell suddenly jumped at the second guard, latching onto him too. Unlike his companion, this one remained calm, despite the sudden bite and scratches he was receiving. He merely grabbed Fell around the waist and hoisted him up, ignoring the pain. "I highly advise you stop that. The more you resist, the more you will be hurt… as well as your sister."

That caused Fell to release his grip, licking away blood from the bites he had done as he glared at the man.

"How amusing. He even fights the way I want him to," Viken laughed. "These two will be interesting ones to experiment on." He glanced at the first guard. "Since it seems he's busy, you take the girl."

Any fight Larka had had in her was gone the moment she had seen Fell give up. The man easily grabbed her, flinging her over his shoulder. "So we're leaving?"

"Right away. It will be some time before their parents' bodies are found, but I am still concerned about it," Viken stated.

Larka grew even more pale at that. "Mom? Dad?"

"They have already departed from this world," Viken said with a sneer. "Unfortunately for the two of you, neither of you will be joining them yet… nor will you for a long time."

With that, the three men walked out, the guards still holding onto their captives. Then they were gone, leaving only the scattered petals from the dropped flowers and drops of blood on the light carpet to show signs of the struggle.

Fell had been watching all of this silently. Seeing that they were finally gone, he looked at the petals of the rose, which matched the blood's color. _Even then, I failed at protecting her. That was when I was at my weakest. My efforts were not enough… she depended on me, yet I failed… _Fell shook his head. _I took on too much responsibility. By trying to be the only one to protect her, I inadvertently put her in more danger._

_But now…_ _I don't have to worry about that,_ Fell realized. _I have placed my trust in my companions. Zack is there to help her while I am gone. She has friends that have fought for her before and will again if they need to. Although I wish to still assist her… I do not have to be the only one anymore. And that is what is safest for her._

"Speechless, are you?"

"…I rarely talk," Fell stated as he turned, his eyes meeting his reflection's. "As you should be well aware of."

"Of course," Dark Fell replied. "Still, I thought you would show some sort of a reaction to what you just saw. But I do not really care." A Duel Disk appeared on his left arm. "You must be well aware of what happens now."

"…Yes," Fell answered, turning on his own. "And I am ready for it."

Fell: 8000

Dark Fell: 8000

"…I am to go first?" Fell assumed.

"Yes," Dark Fell confirmed.

"Summon Mad Dog of Darkness (1900/1400) and lay one card down," Fell said.

"How ironic that you should do that," Dark Fell smirked. "I summon my own Mad Dog of Darkness and activate a magic card, Force. It takes half of your Mad Dog's attack and gives it to mine. (950/1400) (2850/1400) My Mad Dog attacks yours."

The Mad Dog tore through Fell's. Its attack was so savage that it went right through the monster, clawing Fell as well.

Fell: 6100

Dark Fell: 8000

"I'll lay two cards down and end my turn," Dark Fell said.

"…Summon another Mad Dog of Darkness and attack yours," Fell stated.

"Afraid not," Dark Fell sneered, flipping over a trap card. "Your Mad Dog runs straight into my Magic Cylinder."

The Mad Dog went into the first cylinder and came flying out of the second, crashing into Fell. It savagely attacked until it abruptly realized that it was assaulting its master. It backed away, whining.

Fell: 4200

Dark Fell: 8000

Fell got up slowly. "…Go."

"That is all you have to say? Well, as you wish," Dark Fell shrugged, drawing. "I play Enemy Controller to switch your Mad Dog into defense mode. Then I summon yet another Mad Dog. We seemed to have been fortunate in drawing them, no? My first Mad Dog attacks yours, and my second attacks directly!"

Once more, Fell was slashed by several wicked claws. Now bleeding heavily from several areas, Fell was barely able to remain standing.

Fell: 2300

Dark Fell: 8000

"You may take your turn now," Dark Fell said with a confident smirk.

Despite the horrible odds Fell now faced, he was not even close to giving up. "Activate Dark Assembly Line to put both Mad Dogs into my hand. Summon one, and attack yours. Lay two cards down."

"Not a big loss," Dark Fell said. "I activate Cry of the Living Dead, bringing my Mad Dog back. Then I summon-you guessed it-my third Mad Dog of Darkness!"

Fell did not seem alarmed by the three growling dogs. "…Activate Ambush, special summoning Mad Dog. Then Mythological Age, special summoning my destroyed one in defense."

"They won't save you! My three Mad Dogs attack!" Dark Fell declared.

Fell flipped his final trap card over. "Attack Nullification."

"What a pity. I will have to wait until next turn to kill you. Make your final play," Dark Fell said.

Without replying, Fell drew. He was hoping to get one monster that would make the play he had in mind possible.

Luck was on his side. "…Summon a third Mad Dog of Darkness," Fell stated, playing it.

"If I did not know better, I would say that we stacked our decks," Dark Fell commented, looking amused. "But what do you hope to do?"

"…Switch the Mad Dog brought back by Mythological Age to attack mode, and activate Delta Attack," Fell said.

Dark Fell glanced at the Mad Dogs, which were all snarling at him now. "Three direct attacks? It will be painful but nothing I can't deal with."

Fell smiled coldly. "Not when this hits you. Equip the third Mad Dog with Hell Alliance."

"Hell Alliance!" Dark Fell exclaimed as the Mad Dog howled. The other five on the field began to howl too. Dark energy surrounded the Mad Dog that had been equipped. "That raises your monster's attack by 800 for each monster on the field that has the same name as it! So now your Mad Dog's at… 6700!" (6700/1400)

"Your arrogance has lead to your downfall," Fell stated. "You do not reflect my personality as much as I had feared. My first two Mad Dogs attack, and then the third one does."

The three Mad Dogs eagerly tore apart the reflection, barely leaving him alive.

Fell: 2300

Dark Fell: 0

"Grrr… you got… lucky…" Dark Fell snarled as he vanished.

Fell gave the petals one last glance before the room faded away. Then he patiently waited for the darkness to lift. Although he was still in great pain from the duel, the blood flow had already slowed. He was not concerned about having difficulty with making it out alive.

After a moment, Fell reemerged in an area unlike any he had ever been in. It was a large room that was dimly lit with a few lamps hanging from the ceiling. There were several tables with random items scattered on each one. Some couches were around too. He caught sight of several odd machines against one wall, along with a counter and an area where a person would stand. But nobody else was in the room, as far as he could see.

Puzzled by where he was, Fell headed towards the back corner, which he could not see very well. As he got closer, the small light there showed him that his instincts were correct. Someone was indeed there. It was a man, who was looking at something he held. He seemed very casual as he calmly shifted the item he was holding. But Fell could not make out any details on the man. He was out of focus.

Fell cautiously approached the man, who did not look up until Fell was in front of him. "Hey. Looks like you're a newcomer."

"…I have never been here before," Fell confirmed.

"Thought so; I'd remember you if you had been." The man gestured to the chair across from him. "No need to be shy. Go ahead, sit down."

Fell did so, never taking his eyes off the man.

"So, are you up for playing a round?" The man showed him the item he held. It was a deck of cards, but not Duel Monster ones. They were regular playing cards.

Fell shook his head. "I do not know how to play."

The man raised an eyebrow at this. "What? Then why are you here? This isn't the best place to learn how to."

"I do not even know where we are," Fell said.

This caught the man off guard. "You're telling me you accidentally stumbled into a casino, of all places?"

"What is a casino?" Fell inquired.

"…You know what? It's probably better that you don't know," the man replied as he shuffled the deck. "I should have figured that you were a bit young to be gambling, but I never thought I would meet someone who didn't know what a casino was. Learn something new every day, eh?"

"Gambling?" Fell asked.

"Yep. Don't tell me you don't know what that is," the man said.

"I do," Fell replied.

"Good. That would really scare me!" The man laid out the cards in a solitaire formation, although Fell had no way of knowing that.

"Why are you gambling?" Fell asked.

"Just something I enjoy doing. It's also the way I have managed to survive," the man stated. He moved a Jack of Spades onto a Queen of Hearts. "Believe me, I never would have gotten by otherwise."

"…You seem concerned about something," Fell said as the man turned over the card that Jack had been covering.

The man glanced up at him in surprise. "You can tell?"

Fell nodded. "I just got the feeling you were."

For a moment, the man was silent as he looked at the cards in front of him. Fell could tell that he was thinking about how he would reply. Then the man said, "You're right. I do have some problems on my mind. You want to hear me out? I could use an opinion. And I don't know why, but I trust you."

"…I will listen," Fell answered.

"Thanks." The man looked back up at him. "I'll try to keep this simple. For quite some time, I have had no friends. There's an exception to this, but… basically, I have known nobody else. Until now. Recently, I gained companions that I care for. Now I have more people to be concerned over than I have ever needed to worry about." Fell sensed that the man's eyes darkened. "They don't even know who I am. If they did… they might abandon me. I've… never had friends before. Or anything beyond that… although one of them is a bit beyond a friend… ah, nevermind," the man said awkwardly. "The point is, I need to tell them what happened before and why they could be at risk by associating with me. But… I don't want to be abandoned again." The man laughed shortly. "Call it cowardly, but that's how my mind works."

"…How close is your group, emotionally?" Fell inquired.

"Very close… at least for now," the man replied.

"Then do not worry about them doing that," Fell stated. "If they are truly friends, they will not leave you for a reason that is beyond your control. If they do, they never were friends in the first place. Tell them of your concerns soon. Either you will find that you are amongst valuable friends or lying impersonators."

"…I see your reasoning," the man said. "Yeah… I'm sure you're right. I have stalled long enough." He turned over another card, and then took it, placing it above the seven columns he had made. It was an Ace of Spades. "Thanks for saying that."

"Of course…" Fell was still bothered by something about the man. He tried to see him again. "…Are you sure we have not met before?"

"…Hm…" The man looked back up at him, and then shrugged. "Who knows? You did kinda remind me of someone, to be honest… so, I take it we'll see each other again?"

"I am sure of it," Fell replied.

"Excellent," the man said with a nod. "I will wait until that day, Fell."

The casino began to vanish, leaving only a second for Fell to see who he had been talking to. Then the man was gone too.

…_So, it was him. Then I am sure we will indeed meet another time,_ Fell thought.

…

"Fell! You're back!" Larka exclaimed as he came out of the mirror. Then her eyes widened as she saw his wounds. "What happened to you? Are you ok?"

"…It is nothing," Fell stated, limping over to her and Daine. "Once we are done, I will heal myself."

"Try to relax until then," Larka said worriedly.

"I have been in worse conditions." Fell stopped beside them.

"That does not mean we have no reason to be concerned about you," Daine told him.

"…There are not many trials left. I can wait," Fell said.

"It looks like you passed," Zack stated, looking at the mirror.

Fell glanced back and saw that an image was now on the surface. It was a full moon. "Yes."

"Good," was all Zack said, not wanting to cause Fell to feel any more awkward than he already did.

They all faced the next mirror. The reflection came up almost instantly.

"So… I have to go now…" Larka said as she saw her dark image appear.

"No!" Brandi protested, speaking the first words she had for a long time. "Please… don't leave…"

"Brandi…" Larka said sadly. "I have to. We can't leave here until all of us do… and I have to go now. But I'll be back shortly…"

"No…" Brandi sobbed, gripping onto her tightly.

Malon whined softly as Max went over to them. "Larka, take care of your trial. I'll watch over Brandi in the meantime."

"…All right," Larka agreed. "You'll be fine, Brandi… really…"

After some more coaxing, Brandi finally let go of Larka, and Max took her into his arms. "We'll be ok. Just get your trial done quickly," Max said.

"Of course." Larka got up, and gave Malon a pat on the head. "Be good while I'm gone."

Malon whimpered, but did not do anything else.

"…You will make it through as well," Zack said, although his eyes reflected his concern. "I know you will."

"Thanks," Larka replied, giving him the same bright smile that always caused him to feel calmer. "I'm sure you're right."

"…Watch yourself," Fell said softly.

"I'll be cautious," Larka agreed. Then she went into the mirror.

…

They all watched Fell emerge from the mirror.

"As I expected," Sarius said.

"There aren't many left now," Amy stated. "Just Larka, Zack, and Hope…"

"And there goes Larka," Claire said as she went into her own mirror.

"She is strong too," Kisara whispered. "I think she will be fine."

To be continued…


	9. Trial of Friendship: Larka

I found Larka's worst memory hard to write for some reason, even though I had it completely planned out. So that is the main reason for my delay. Sorry.

John: …Right…

Captain Obvious: One does not simply ROCK their way into Mordor! …Go ahead and smack me if you want. But I had to say that.

DesVostgalph: That might work on Kuribow, but what about Kuribo? Either way, it's nice to see a new face. Thanks for reading!

Epyon: TAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYY! –Is smacked again-

**Chapter 9: Trial of Friendship: Larka**

Larka opened her eyes, and found that she was no longer in darkness.

Now she stood in an open meadow. She realized that she was in the plains of Teknisk Wereld. Except she could not see the mountains anywhere. That meant she had to be very far into them to be unable to view them.

But when she looked down, she was taken by surprise. Instead of the short grass she had expected, there were flowers everywhere around her. They came in all types, with many colors and shapes.

"Wow…" Larka said in wonder as she kneeled, carefully avoiding crushing the flowers. "It's been a long time since I've seen so many flowers…" She smiled as she ran her fingers along the petals of a large, white one in front of her. "I've missed them."

Larka tried to recall when she had last been able to look at flowers without worrying about anything else at the time. "It was… before Viken took us. It had to be," Larka said softly. Then she winced as she remembered. "That's right… it was the same day that he came. I had forgotten about that…"

To get her mind off the unpleasant memory, Larka looked around the field. The flowers were calming to her, yet she was beginning to feel something else. Unsure of what it was, she continued to scan the flowers.

As she did, she caught sight of a flower by itself, surrounded by grass. It was a blood-red rose that stood there. Larka found herself moving closer to it at once.

Once she got there, she looked down at it. "It almost seems… lonely…" Larka glanced at the field again. "That's it… although I love doing this… whenever I do it, I am alone…"

Larka turned her gaze to the rose again. "Even when it was just Fell and me, my activities with flowers were always done… alone." She closed her eyes. "Living in Viken's lab only made me more… afraid… of being alone… it is still my biggest fear. I… never want to have to be alone. Never again."

After a moment, she continued. "Fell might wish to go on his own someday. I was worried about what would happen when he did… but now I don't have to be afraid of that anymore, because my other friends will always be there… especially Zack." Larka smiled to herself. "Fell would never abandon me forever, but… I am glad to know that I will not be alone when he leaves for other things."

Not knowing what else to say, Larka bent down and carefully plucked the rose out of the ground, avoiding the thorns. Then she carried it to the other flowers and laid it down amongst them. "This may be a silly thing to do… but I did not want to leave you in that position either," Larka said to the rose.

As she did, she suddenly realized that she had seen a rose identical to that one before. It was exactly the same as the one she had gotten when picking flowers the last time she had had the chance. "…That was probably intentional," she thought out loud.

She probably would have continued to talk, but at that moment, the ground began to grow black. All of the flowers besides the rose became darkness, leaving a hole for Larka to enter.

"I guess that's how I go on," Larka said. "…I won't gain much from staying here, anyway." She jumped into the hole, giving herself no time for second thoughts.

She landed on a metal floor. Puzzled by the sudden change of scenery, she began to look around.

Larka instantly recognized the room she was in when she saw the metal examining table, the clasps unfastened.

"Viken's… laboratory…" Larka whispered, trembling at the sight. Although she was well aware that this was not real, that Viken was already dead, she still felt old fears rising. All of her instincts told her to get out of there at once.

Larka forced herself to calm down a bit. She had to find her way out of here by doing something besides standing there. So she looked at the doors in the room, trying to decide which one to enter. She felt compelled to enter the left door, so she went over to it. Surprisingly, it was partially open. She pulled it open and went inside, bringing it back to its original position as she did.

The room was fairly barren, but the five people inside it caught her attention instantly. Two of them were the guards that had monitored her and Fell, and the third was Viken. They were standing in front of two large, glass cylinders.

Larka stared at the two figures inside them. Although they were younger, and still had human appearances and brown eyes, she knew that they were Fell and herself. Her younger self was watching them nervously from her kneeled position. Fell was glaring at the trio, but made no other movement.

"The day has finally arrived," Viken said with a smirk. "At long last, the experiments may truly begin."

_No… not this… _Larka thought, a small hint of panic entering her as she realized what she was seeing.

The younger guard was the one close by the younger Larka. At Viken's words, he brought out a black handgun and shot through a small opening in the cylinder. A tiny dart hit Larka in the arm, causing her to slump over, paralyzed. Viken opened the cylinder and pulled her out, removing the dart in the process.

"Unless I call for your assistance, you are to stay here and guard him," Viken ordered. The two guards nodded in response. Content with that, Viken started to walk back to the door with Larka in tow. The real Larka could see the terror in her eyes.

Perhaps Fell could too, or else he was simply reacting to what was happening. Whatever his motivations were, Fell suddenly lunged at the cylinder he was confined in. He hit the glass with a sharp crack, and then slowly slid to the floor, eyes glazed over before they closed.

"…He actually damaged the glass," the older guard stated, indicating to the long and narrow crack left from the attack.

"That's far more impressive than anything else before," Viken said, looking at the results with interest. "They are indeed getting stronger."

The older guard glanced at Larka. "Sir, I believe his desire to assist his sister also aided in the ferocity of that assault. It might be a combination of both."

"Possibly. We will know once I am done with them today." As Viken walked out of the door, he added, "It will be necessary to replace that weaker glass with a stronger material. Be sure to remember that." Then he went into the other room. The real Larka hastily went out as well.

Viken set her younger self on the examining table and then closed the clasps, binding her to it. He went over and shut the door before returning to the table.

Already the paralyzing effect was slightly fading. Larka shut her eyes as Viken came over to her, and the real Larka found herself doing the same. Both of them heard Viken's words though, as much as they did not want to.

"This will be one of the most painful experiences you ever have to go through. Feel free to scream when you must; it will be unpreventable." Then she heard him preparing an injection. The cry that came a few seconds later was more than enough to tell her that the process had begun.

From there on, the memory was very hazy. Larka could sometimes open her eyes long enough to see for a few seconds before she forced them shut again. Even when she did see, the room was almost blurry.

_Maybe this is happening… because this is my memory…_ Larka thought as she heard yet another scream of pain. _When I was experiencing this… I did not see much… So I can't look back on things I never saw…_

It seemed to stretch on forever, an endless session of torture. Larka could barely catch any of the muttered words Viken said; all that she heard was her own screaming. She wanted to cover her ears, to block out all of the suffering, yet she didn't. For some reason, she knew that it was important to observe all of this to the best of her ability. Why that would be she would probably see soon enough.

At long last, it was over. Larka opened her eyes and saw Viken pressing the button to open the clasps. Then he lifted the younger Larka and went to the door, going in again. Once again, Larka followed.

Fell had come around some time before. When he saw the state his sister was in, his eyes widened as he began to tremble.

_I think… that was the first time and last time… that I saw Fell look frightened…_ Larka realized.

Viken put Larka back into the glass cylinder, locking it again. The older guard took out an identical gun to the one his companion had used and shot Fell in the arm, paralyzing him.

"I want the two of you to find something to replace this glass while I am busy with him," Viken instructed as he took out Fell. "Do not worry about her; even if she were not confined, she is not about to be going anywhere right now."

The two guards nodded again and went out of the door. Viken went as well, closing it behind him. Both of the Larkas were left there, technically alone.

Her younger version stirred, and then shakily sat up. Her hands went to her ears, but she pulled them back quickly after she felt what they had become. What had recently been round, smooth human ears were now triangular, furry wolf ears. She looked at her hands, and moaned as she saw that her fingernails were much longer and sharper. Then she glanced up at the glass, and drew back at the sight of her own reflection. She had been expecting the ears, still bleeding slightly, yet seeing them shocked her. But what had really horrified her were her now-yellow eyes.

Larka could clearly remember the thoughts that had been going through her mind at that time. "_Now we are truly secluded. Even if we eventually escape, nobody will accept us. We are not human anymore. We are going to be alone… forever… even Fell realized that…"_

As though to back up her thoughts, a cry from her brother suddenly came from the other room. It was all too much for the eight year old. She began to cry uncontrollably from the pain and hopelessness that lay on her heart.

The real Larka watched sadly as her younger image faded away. "Back then, I believed all of that. Even if we, by some miracle, managed to get out of there, we would still be rejected. Nobody would accept us because of what we were." Larka then managed a small smile. "But I was wrong. Even after they learned what we were, the group accepted us. Hope knew all along, but she didn't mind. When the others found out, their views on us were not changed. I finally have… friends. People I care about… and love. Never again do I have to fear seclusion from what Viken made us…"

"Keep telling yourself that; we will see how far it gets you," her reflection stated, coming in front of her.

"So you were here all along…" Larka said softly.

"Of course. I decided to let you deal with the first trial before I showed myself." A Duel Disk appeared on her left arm. "I am the second trial. If you are ready, we shall begin now."

"I am," Larka assured.

Larka: 8000

Dark Larka: 8000

"I start? In that case, I'll summon Dunamis Valkyria. (1800/1050) I lay two cards down and end my turn," Larka said.

"Those will do you little good," Dark Larka stated. "I summon Mirage Dragon. (1600/600) Then I equip him with Shine Castle! (2300/600) He attacks Dunamis Valkyria!"

The Mirage Dragon shot a beam of light at the Dunamis Valkyria, tearing through her to hit Larka. She gasped in pain, but it was soon tolerable.

Larka: 7500

Dark Larka: 8000

"Go ahead," Dark Larka said.

Larka knew her traps were not going to be affected by Mirage Dragon, but she wanted to save them if possible. "I lay one monster in defense mode and end my turn."

"I summon Blade Knight (1600/1000) and play Shine Spark." (2800/200) (2100/600) They both waited for their eyes to adjust to the bright field before Dark Larka continued. "Blade Knight attacks your monster."

"It is my Twilight Zone Female Warrior. (2000/1200) I will not remove your Blade Knight," Larka said.

Dark Larka gave her a doubtful glance. "If that's what you want… Mirage Dragon attacks directly."

This time, the attack hit Larka dead on, burning into her fiercely. She managed to remain standing, but the brutality of the attack had nearly forced her to the ground.

Larka: 4700

Dark Larka: 8000

"You may go now," Dark Larka said.

Trying to ignore the pain, Larka made her play. "I summon Wandering Hero, Freed! (2200/700) I'll remove Dunamis Valkyria and Twilight Zone Female Warrior from my Cemetery to destroy Mirage Dragon!"

"I should have seen that coming," Dark Larka growled as Freed sliced apart the Mirage Dragon with a glowing sword.

"Then Freed attacks Blade Knight. I'm done."

Larka: 4700

Dark Larka: 7900

"Freed is still too weak to stand against many monsters in this deck," Dark Larka stated. "I summon Ninja Master-Sasuke (2300/600) and attack him."

Sasuke seemed to blend with the brilliant light, making him almost unable to be seen. Then a handful of kunai came flying down, piercing Freed. One managed to nick Larka as it went by, leaving a very shallow scratch.

Larka: 4600

Dark Larka: 7900

"I assume you're done," Larka said as she looked at her hand. It wasn't a reassuring sight. Currently, she had no cards that could withstand another attack from Sasuke, unless she used her traps…

"That's right. Take your turn."

Luckily for Larka, she drew a good card to stall with. "I summon Magic Reflector Reflect Bounder! (2200/600) I'll end my turn at that."

"Ugh… I have no desire to take damage from an attack," Dark Larka stated. "I lay one card down. That's it."

The next card Larka got was even better when it came to destroying Sasuke. "I summon Volt Girl! (2400/400) She attacks Sasuke! Then Reflect Bounder attacks directly!"

The reflection seemed to be especially pained as the Reflect Bounder assaulted her, reflections of the piercing light going into her. But she was far from done.

Larka: 4600

Dark Larka: 5600

"I'm done," Larka said.

"You will not be able to stay on the offensive for long," Dark Larka threatened. "I activate Cry of the Living Dead to bring back Blade Knight. Then I summon another! I lay two cards face down as well. (2500/600) My first Blade Knight attacks Volt Girl!"

"I activate Emissary of Harmony!" Larka countered.

"Fine," Dark Larka growled. "It's your turn."

"I'll equip Volt Girl with my own Shine Castle!" Larka said. (3100/400) "She attacks a Blade Knight! Then I'm done."

Larka: 4600

Dark Larka: 5000

"I pass," Dark Larka said, glaring at her hand.

"I'll attack your second Blade Knight with Volt Girl!" Larka declared. "Then Reflect Bounder attacks you directly!"

Larka: 4600

Dark Larka: 2200

Larka seemed surprised that Dark Larka had not activated either of her two face down cards, but decided to risk bringing out another monster anyway. "I summon my own Blade Knight!"

"In response, I activate Tidal Wave," Dark Larka said.

Larka winced as she saw all of her monsters get washed away by the fierce waters. "Well, at least I won't have to worry about it later. I'm done."

"I summon Dunamis Valkyria and attack directly," Dark Larka announced.

The Dunamis Valkyria's hands began to glow. She brought them up in front of her and unleashed a blazing surge of light energy from them that engulfed Larka. When it was over, Larka had to grab onto the wall behind her to use it as temporary support.

Larka: 2300

Dark Larka: 2200

"You are all so fragile, physically and mentally," her dark counterpart murmured. "If you feel as though you can go on, do so."

"I'm not about to give in!" Larka said. "I lay a monster in defense mode and activate Sealing Swords of Light! That's all."

"Beyond irritating… I have no choice but to pass," Dark Larka stated.

"Then it's time to finish this!" Larka declared. "I flip over Saint Magician! (800/0) I'll use her effect to get back Shine Castle. Then I summon another Volt Girl and equip her with it!" (3100/400)

"I will not lose all of my Life Points from just those two monsters," Dark Larka pointed out.

"That's why I'm going to activate my trap card, Solar Ray! Since I have two Light Main-Types, you lose 1200 Life Points!" Larka said.

Larka: 2300

Dark Larka: 1000

"Volt Girl destroys Dunamis Valkyria, and Saint Magician does the final blow!"

If the occasion had not been so grave, Larka probably would have laughed at the absurdity of the Saint Magician smacking Dark Larka to death with her staff.

Larka: 2300

Dark Larka: 0

"How… humiliating…" Dark Larka gasped before she vanished.

"…That is one way to put it," Larka said as the room faded away. She waited until the darkness cleared, showing her where she now was.

Much to her surprise, she was now at the Elemental Spring. She looked around, but nothing seemed to have changed.

"What am I supposed to do now?" Larka said to herself.

Before she could think of anything, she heard something. Turning to where she thought the source was, she suddenly found herself being tackled, the person excitedly exclaiming, "SOMEONE'S HERE! SOMEONE'S HERE! SOMEONE'S FINALLY HERE!"

Larka fell back onto her rear as the very young girl had her arms locked around Larka's waist. Although she was out of focus, Larka could tell she had to be far below an age allowed to enter Teknisk Wereld. The surprise of the hyper assault made her more questioning on other matters though.

"Who are you? What are you doing here?" Larka managed to gasp out, trying to recover from having the breath knocked out of her.

The girl leapt back and then began jumping up and down energetically. "I was told to wait here until they were done, but it was so BORING! That's why I'm happy that someone's come, especially someone I know!"

"Huh? You know me?" Larka said, looking rather confused by the whole thing.

"Of course, silly!" The girl stopped jumping in place and gazed at Larka with a tilted head. "At least, I think I do… I remember seeing you before, anyway!"

"But how?" Larka kneeled down in front of the girl, trying to get a good look at her.

The girl thought for a moment, and then said, "I can't remember now… That isn't supposed to happen! My memory's really good most of the time!" Then, without warning, she leapt on Larka's back, grabbing onto her long hair. "Oh well! I know you somehow! So let's play!"

"Ow!" Larka exclaimed. "Play? I can't-argh-do that! I have somewhere I-ouch-need to be! Hey, go easy on my hair!"

"Sorry!" The girl latched around her neck instead. "What do you mean, you have to go somewhere? But that's no fun! You just got here!"

"I apologize… but I am expected to be back with my friends shortly…" Larka gasped out. It was hard to talk with the girl hanging off her neck. "Or else… I would… stay with you…"

"No! I don't want to be left alone again!" the girl protested, letting go and running in front of her. "That made me feel lonely!"

There was something about the way she said that that made Larka think she did not mean her being left at this spring temporarily. "What do you mean?"

"I was always alone, although I didn't know it!" The girl hesitatingly put her hands over where her heart was. "I wasn't supposed to have emotions, but now I'm experiencing them all the time! I don't know whether that's right or not… but now I can remember how lonely I was, and I don't want to have to go through that again!" The girl was shaking by then, glancing at Larka nervously.

Larka could easily sympathize with the girl, although she did not understand why she said some of the things she did. "I've always feared being alone, so I know how you feel. If I didn't have to leave, I would stay as long as you wanted."

"You… really have to leave?" The girl abruptly grabbed Larka around her middle again, sobbing, "I DON'T WANT YOU TO GO I DON'T WANT YOU TO GO I DON'T WANT YOU TO GO!"

Although her exclamations hurt Larka's sensitive ears, she did not protest to the reaction. Instead, she gently put her hand on the girl's shoulder. "It's only temporarily. If we have met before, I'm sure we will again. This time, I won't forget you. When we do see each other once more, I won't have to do this. We can… stay together, for a much longer period of time. I'll be with you for as long as you want then, so that you don't have to experience that again."

"Really?" the girl said, gazing up at her hopefully.

Larka nodded. "Yes. So wait until then, ok?"

"All right! I can do that!" The girl jumped back, now seeming as cheerful as she had first been. "I may be impatient, but I'll wait this one time!"

"Good." Larka got up. "Then we'll see each other soon."

"I hope so, Larka!" the girl said.

As Larka began to fade, the girl waved to her. It was then that Larka could finally see who she had been talking to.

_What? But that makes… no sense… _Larka thought as darkness closed around her.

…

Larka was greeted by a blur of brown fur tackling her in the same section the girl had. She fell over again, wincing as Malon licked her face eagerly.

"Look's like you're finally back!" Miles said.

"We were getting worried. You were in there for a long time," Hope explained, gazing at her friend with concern.

"Sorry," Larka apologized, getting up. Malon rubbed his head on her leg, whining happily.

"How did it go?" Zack asked, looking concerned.

"It was fine. I got injured in the duel, but it's not bad at all," Larka replied.

"…Are you harmed mentally?" Fell inquired.

"No, I was able to handle it," Larka assured.

"Seems like it," Draken said, nodding to the mirror. They turned to see that the image had appeared. It was a blood-red rose.

"…Fitting," Fell muttered.

"Yes, it is," Larka agreed. Then she said to Max, "How is Brandi doing?"

"She's been no better, but no worse either," Max answered as Larka sat down next to him.

"I see…" Larka put her hand on Brandi's shoulder, but did not say any more on the matter.

"Well, we're coming down to the wire," Gen stated. "Only two more people have to go; Hope and Zack."

"Place your bets, people," Miles said with a grin.

"No thanks. I've already lost one," Rue muttered.

They did not have time to say anything else before the reflection appeared. Zack gazed at it intently. "It seems to be my turn."

"You'll breeze through it," Rue said with a shrug. "You seem to have come to terms with your past a long time ago, and that was the hardest part by far."

"Amen to that," Miles said with a shiver.

"…I doubt you will have much trouble," Fell stated.

"But please be careful," Larka added.

"I will." Zack stepped through the mirror without looking back.

"…So, you're going to be last," Gaston said to Hope. "How do you feel?"

"Fine. I'll be ready when the time goes," Hope assured.

Gaston seemed satisfied with that, but Hope was secretly worried. It was possible that mirror would show her why she desired the God cards so much, and why she kept dreaming of Satan. She knew the answer to that was important. Yet she found herself fearing what it would be.

…

"You were right, Kisara," Amy said as Larka reappeared. "She doesn't look hurt."

"Yes," Kisara replied, smiling.

"Fifty-fifty chance of who goes next," Claire said.

"…Seems like Zack was chosen," Matt stated.

They watched him enter the mirror. "Soon, it will be over," Sarius said. "Then we will see what it was all for."

"I've been wondering that myself," Aya stated before they became silent again.

To be continued…


	10. Trial of Humanity: Zack

I repeat: writing rolls are fun!

Demon Fan: …Um… ok, that totally confused me. –Hits head against desk multiple times- I think I lost less brain cells from doing that then trying to decipher everything you just said. –Collapses with dizzy eyes-

Captain Obvious: It looks like you got it… wait…Kuribo just used Sub-Space Matter Transfer Device to remove itself from play… is this thing unstoppable or something?

**Chapter 10: Trial of Humanity: Zack**

The room that Zack had appeared in was one of the plainest ones he had ever set his sight on. It was completely bare, leaving every steel side visible. The only thing that broke the monotony of the room was something that caused Zack to instantly bring out his switchblade.

Before the hallway that led out of the room there stood one of Vlad's mechanical soldiers. It made no threatening movements, but Zack was not reassured. He glanced around the room again and walked up to the soldier.

As he got near, the soldier suddenly raised his arms. "You are not allowed beyond this point. Please turn back."

Zack halted, intrigued by what the soldier had done. "I didn't know that they could talk…"

"You are not allowed beyond this point. Please turn back," the soldier repeated.

"Is that the only thing you can say?" Zack inquired.

"You are not allowed beyond this point. Please turn back."

"It seems that way…" Zack muttered.

"You are not allowed beyond this point. Please turn back."

"…This was once a human," Zack said. "Yet now… you would never be able to tell. He or she is like a robot now…"

"You are not allowed beyond this point. Please turn back."

"…I almost became like this," Zack realized. "I wanted nothing more than to lose my memories, and my emotions… so that I could be in the closest state to death that I could reach…"

"You are not allowed beyond this point. Please turn back."

"…I nearly… turned into… a machine," Zack said softly. "That was what I had wanted at the time. But now… I can see what folly that was."

"You are not allowed beyond this point. Please turn back."

Zack faced the soldier again, his switchblade still out. "If I had become like that, I would have wanted to die more than ever. Perhaps, if you do, your soul will finally be free…" He suddenly lunged. The soldier reacted, trying to get out of the way, but Zack had been swift and accurate. His switchblade went into the back of the soldier's neck, destroying its vital circuits. The soldier collapsed, lifelessly hitting the ground.

"I am sorry… but it was the only way. Rest in peace," Zack murmured. Then he went into the hall.

It was rather short, and he soon arrived in the next room. As he stepped in, he was suddenly blinded by a multitude of colored lights all activating in the room.

"What is this supposed to be?" Zack said, wincing at the dizzying patterns. "It's so much more confusing in here than the other room…" That caused him to halt. "The other room must have represented what I wanted to be. This is what I am like… currently…" He strained to see beyond the lights. "With so many emotions and thoughts, I often find myself… confused… and lost… still… that is preferable to what I was striving to be." Zack shook his head. "It is regretful that it took me so long to realize that. But I know now… never again will I want to be without my soul…"

As he said that, the lights began to dim, and he could see the center of the room. There was a glass case, with a heart inside it. It had been still, but now it began to pulse. The case vanished, becoming a portal of darkness.

"I suppose I passed this first part," Zack said. "But now…" He hesitated, and then said, "I must go on, no matter what lays in front of me." Then he entered.

He found himself in an all-too-familiar location. It was the same room in the base that they had seen when searching for Vlad. He had recognized it then, and his suspicions were confirmed when he saw who was in the room. One person was a man in a lab coat, while the other was lying on the examining table, clasps pinning him down.

"…That's me…" Zack whispered as his other self opened his eyes, looking around in confusion.

"…W-what? Where… where am I?" that Zack managed to say.

The man in the lab coat glanced over at him, seeming startled. Then he ran out of the room, yelling something that Zack could not hear.

A few moments later, another scientist came in. He seemed older than the previous one, with black hair going gray, a beard, and brown eyes.

"So, you have finally awakened!" the scientist said, obviously pleased.

"What happened? I thought I had died…" Zack said.

"You did," the scientist replied. "But we brought you back to life. You are the first successful cyborg we have made."

"A… cyborg?" Zack said in bewilderment.

"Yes. Look at your hand… it used to be cut to the point of being unable to work, but we replaced it," the scientist said.

The Zack on the table glanced down at his hand, seeing the metal that encased it. "But how is this possible?"

"Technology has much improved," the scientist stated. "That, and a few other things… but the point is, you are alive once more."

"…But I died for a reason," Zack said softly. "I killed myself… I don't want to be in this world anymore…"

"By all means, you may try to slay yourself again," the scientist said, pressing a button on the table. The metal clasps clicked open. "In your left arm, there is a switchblade. Bring it out and cut into the back of your neck. Since you don't have a heart anymore, and because your body is very well protected, the back of your neck is your vital point."

Zack hesitated, and then sat up and tried to lift his left arm. Suddenly, blue electricity coursed through his entire body. Zack was forced back onto the table, wincing in pain as the electricity lingered.

"It worked!" the scientist exclaimed, smiling in delight. "I was concerned for a moment that it would not."

"What… was that?" Zack managed to say as the electricity faded away.

"I put a device in you that prevents suicide," the scientist explained. "That is one reason I wished to experiment on you. I knew it would allow me to test it. The other reasons were because you were naturally strong, and I was allowed to take your body."

"So I… can't die?" Zack said.

"Oh, you can die. That is very possible. But you cannot kill yourself, and you cannot do anything such as just stand there while someone tries to slay you. You'd fight back instantly," the scientist told him. "You will also have to have your parts updated and such. Otherwise, you have the potential to live forever."

"…What right do you have to do this?" Zack asked.

"I may not have any. But face the facts," the scientist said. "You murdered several people. You would have been a wanted criminal. This way, you never have to worry about such a thing. If you report what has been done to you, I am afraid they will only be concerned about what you have done before."

Zack stared at him for a moment, and then closed his eyes. "…I have nothing more to say."

"That is fine. We will discuss what is to happen to you later." The scientist pressed the button again, causing the clasps to close again. "Until then, consider what you are to do." Then he left.

The real Zack watched as his counterpart vanished. "I am surprised that this was my worst memory. I thought… it would be killing Andrew… But it seems I was wrong." He paused, and then said, "Although I didn't show it… I was filled with despair upon this news. The possibility of living forever, and being unable to prevent it… I was already tired of living. I was ungrateful for this second opportunity. But now… I cannot help but be grateful. If I had died… I would never have learned what I did… nor met these friends I now have… and Larka." Zack smiled slightly. "There is no point on fretting over a disappointing past when I have a fulfilling future."

"You are sure on this?"

"Very," Zack said, unsurprised by his reflection's sudden arrival. "So shall we cut to the chase?"

"That is fine with me." A Duel Disk appeared on his right arm.

Zack: 8000

Dark Zack: 8000

"I start then? I'll place a monster in defense mode and a card face down," Zack stated.

"My starting move will be to summon KA-2 Death Scissors. (1000/1000) Then I equip it with 7 Card. (1700/1000) It attacks," Dark Zack said.

The demented mechanical crab cut up Zack's face down Cyber Raider (1400/1000) to shreds. When it was done, it suddenly flew at Zack, stabbing him four times.

Zack: 6000

Dark Zack: 8000

"Its effect…" Zack said, wincing from the wounds.

"That is right. Your level four monster caused you to lose 2000 Life Points. I lay one card down; take your turn," Dark Zack commanded.

Although the Scissors had been damaging, Zack was not concerned with them. "I'll summon Magic Reflector Reflect Bounder. (1700/1000) Then I activate Raremetal Conversion, Magic Reflex Armor, and choose to use it on Reflect Bounder! (2200/1000) It attacks your KA-2 Death Scissors!"

Zack: 6000

Dark Zack: 7500

"I lay one more card down before ending," Zack said.

"I believe this would be the easiest way to dispose of your Reflect Bounder," Dark Zack stated. "I summon Roulette Bomber (1000/2000) and use its effect." Two dice landed on the field, rolling for a few seconds until halting. "A one and a four. I'll use the four to destroy Reflect Bounder. Then I attack directly with Roulette Bomber."

The turret instantly shot Zack, causing him to stagger back from the force of the blow.

Zack: 5000

Dark Zack: 7500

"I am done."

Zack saw a quite nice combo in his hand that he planned on utilizing. "I summon Drillago! (1600/1100) Then I activate Limiter Removal!"

"In response, I activate Magic Jammer," Dark Zack stated. Underneath the Drillago that was being powered up, a pentagram appeared. "I discard Air Guard Gear Golem for the cost."

"I counter with Bandit's Swiss Army Knife!" Zack said. The knife appeared in Zack's hand. Knowing instinctively what to do with it, he slashed his right arm, and then stabbed the bloody knife into the pentagram. The pentagram broke apart and faded away, along with the knife. "My Drillago is still powered up!" (3200/1100)

Zack: 4000

Dark Zack: 7500

"Drillago now attacks Roulette Bomber!"

Zack: 4000

Dark Zack: 5300

"I lay a card down and end my turn," Zack said. Now he had one card in his hand. Drillago exploded due to the effects of Limiter Removal, leaving him with no monsters either. It seemed like a bad situation, but Zack was confident that he would draw something useful next turn.

"Not bad. But now you have left yourself wide open," Dark Zack told him. "I play Early Burial to bring back Roulette Bomber."

Zack: 4000

Dark Zack: 4500

"Then I sacrifice Roulette Bomber for Machine King! (2300/2000) He attacks you directly!"

The Machine King's arms flew out, rocketing into Zack. They sent him crashing into the wall close behind him, where he barely managed to remain standing.

Zack: 1700

Dark Zack: 4500

"That is all for me," Dark Zack said.

Zack had not expected his counterpart to bring out a monster that required a sacrifice. Luckily for him, his next card was indeed useful. "I play my own Early Burial, for Drillago!"

Zack: 900

Dark Zack: 4500

"Then I sacrifice Drillago for Immense Battleship Big Core! (2300/1100) I am done."

"Not going to attack?" Dark Zack inquired.

"Of course not. Your Machine King was powered up by me summoning another Machine Sub-Type." (2400/2000)

"Indeed it was. I attack Big Core with Machine King and end my turn."

This time, the Big Core took the blunt of the blow. But some of the energy from the resulting explosion of the arms hitting Big Core's shield connected with Zack, burning him slightly.

Zack: 800

Dark Zack: 4500

"…I pass," Zack said, looking at his new card.

"I attack your Big Core again! That's all."

Zack: 700

Dark Zack: 4500

Zack knew this was a risky move; if he didn't get the card he wanted to next turn, he would be dead. But there wasn't much other choice at this point. "I lay one monster in defense mode and end my turn."

"Machine King attacks it!" Dark Zack said.

"It's my Cannon Soldier," Zack stated. "In response to you destroying it in battle, I activate Time Machine to bring it back."

"Fine," Dark Zack shrugged. "Your turn."

Zack sighed in relief when he saw what he had drawn. "I summon Drillago, and play my own 7 Card on Big Core! (3000/1100) Your Machine King, even if it is powered up, cannot stand against this. (2600/2000) Big Core attacks! Then Drillago and Cannon Soldier do as well!"

Zack: 700

Dark Zack: 1100

"Then I use Cannon Soldier to sacrifice Drillago, Big Core, and himself!" Zack declared. The two monsters turned into energy, entering Cannon Soldier. The Cannon Soldier blasted Dark Zack twice with the energy. Then he became energy too and launched himself at Dark Zack, tearing him apart.

Zack: 700

Dark Zack: 0

"I've failed…" Dark Zack muttered as he vanished.

Zack could tell that he was in a very bad condition from the duel. But there was not much he could do about it now. He waited as the darkness consumed him, hoping to get through the next area as quickly as he could.

The next area that Zack found himself in seemed to be a factory. He could see several conveyer belts with mechanical objects on them. He was on a high platform above all of them though, so making out the details below were hard. It was nearly impossible to see much else.

"Whoa! Where did you come from?"

Zack looked behind him to see a boy staring at him. Zack could not see what he looked like; he was out of focus. But he got the feeling the boy was not hostile.

"A far away place," Zack stated. "That should not be your concern though. What are you doing in this location?"

"I don't know. Just thinking, I guess," the boy said, going and putting his arms on railing that encircled the platform.

"About what?" Zack inquired.

"…Well…" The boy sighed. "I just recently turned thirteen, so I'm finally able to come to Teknisk Wereld. I was looking so forward to this… my three friends, who are all older than me, even waited for me to turn thirteen before they signed up. I was excited… but…"

"Did something go wrong?" Zack asked when the boy said nothing else.

"…In a way," the boy replied. "I was traveling with my three friends and someone else I know for some time, just hoping to have some fun. But now we've been thrown together with three people we barely know, and are fighting for our lives. It's changed them all in certain ways… I'm not sure I even know who they are anymore."

"They are maturing," Zack assumed.

"You could put it that way," the boy agreed. "But I feel the same as always… except that I'm confused. Very confused. What's right and what's wrong? Who can I trust? Am I strong enough to support my friends?" The boy looked down at the conveyer belts. "I don't know what to think…"

"Your life has gone through a very dramatic change," Zack stated. "You have every right to have doubts."

"But what should I do about them?" the boy asked.

"…Your mind may not know what to do, but your heart will," Zack said.

"What? Am I really supposed to be listening to a cheesy anime cliché like that?" the boy said doubtfully.

"It may seem like a meaningless statement to you, but that is the truth," Zack told him. "Your rational side will tell you to go one way while your emotional side wants to take another path. Although it is important to listen to that rational side, you cannot neglect your emotional one. For decisions such as what is right or wrong, believe what your heart says."

"But what if I can't tell what it is saying?" the boy said.

"That is something time will develop," Zack stated. "I cannot help you with it. You are the only one who can do that."

"…All right," the boy said. "I'll keep that in mind."

"Good." Zack glanced at the boy again. "You remind me of a friend of mine."

"Really?" the boy asked.

"Yes. He had problems sorting out his emotions as well. But he has finally learned what he needs to. You will too," Zack assured.

"I hope so…" the boy said. "Thanks, Zack."

As the factory became engulfed with darkness, Zack caught a glimpse of what the boy looked like. He smiled to himself.

_Heh_… _how interesting…_

…

"Zack!" Larka exclaimed, running over to him as he came out of the mirror. "What happened?"

Wondering why Larka seemed so concerned, Zack glanced at himself. The many wounds covering his body reminded him of what happened. "My Life Points went dangerously close to hitting zero in the duel I had."

"You look like you're about to collapse!" Larka said worriedly.

"It's all right… we only have one more trial to go through. Hopefully, we will all be able to heal after that," Zack said, trying to reassure her.

"Hopefully," Larka agreed.

"Oh geez, it's the Wizard of Oz all over again," Miles groaned.

They turned back to the mirror to see the image of a heart appear on it.

"What? You're saying Zack is the Scarecrow?" Rue said in confusion.

Draken smacked him lightly over the head. "The Tin Man, you dolt."

"I knew that," Rue muttered, taking off his hat and rubbing his head. Zack just shook his head at it all.

"Three guesses on who goes next," Miles said as they looked at the final mirror. They could already see Hope's reflection looking back at them.

"Why does Hope always go last?" Neo wondered.

"The world may never know," Gen said.

"…Hope… be cautious," Max said. "You've been having problems lately, and since you're the last one to go… well…"

"Don't worry," Hope said, smiling at him. "I'll be out as soon as I can. Everyone else got through fine; why not me?"

"Everyone but Brandi," Miles muttered underneath his breath. Luckily for him, Max did not hear that.

"Be careful in there," Gaston said.

"I will." Hope gave them all one last glance before going in.

…

"Ouch. Looks like Zack went through the mill," Amy commented as he came out.

"But he still seems to have passed," Claire stated. "That only leaves one more person…"

"Hope," Amy said as her half-sister entered the mirror. "I'm worried, to be honest…"

"Good. It shows you care about her," Aya told her.

"That's true," Amy agreed, looking somewhat happier at that.

"…It is what happens after this that will truly matter," Sarius stated. "Whether Hope passes or not… that might play a big role in it."

To be continued…


	11. Trial of Identity: Hope

I have broken my record. This is the third chapter I have posted today. I hope that the next one will be up by tomorrow.

**Chapter 11: Trial of Identity: Hope**

To say the least, Hope was very surprised to find herself in a familiar room. It was the room inside of the church in Teknisk Wereld where they had gone through their ordeals. She recognized the stained glass window with the cross instantly.

"Why am I here?" Hope said. Receiving no answer, she looked down from the window.

That was when she saw a new addition to the room. In front of her was a mirror with a gold cross implanted at the top of it. Feeling uneasy but knowing she had to go to it, Hope walked up to the mirror.

At first, she saw her own pale reflection. It seemed normal, and safe. Hope was just about to relax when the reflection abruptly changed for a second.

Hope gasped, stepping back, her heart pounding wildly. _What was that thing?_ she thought in shock.

In truth, the term 'thing' was the only word she could use to describe what she had seen. It had looked humanoid somewhat, but with… those body parts… and those eyes… no, that couldn't be human… nothing that evil could be human…

"What's happening to me?" Hope whispered. Then she saw something else in her reflection, and looked down. Her orb was glowing a bright white, trying to keep the black in it subdued. Apparently, the black in the orb had tried to go beyond its boundaries.

"Who am I?" Hope said softly, her eyes glistening. "I… I don't want to change… I like myself just the way I am…" She looked at the top of the mirror, where the golden cross was. "Oh, God… please, don't let me change…"

The mirror gleamed, and the hazy reflection of Hope suddenly solidified. Then it became a black portal.

"…I have to… stay as who I am…" Hope whispered to herself. Then she entered the portal.

Once again, Hope found herself in a church. This time, however, it was not from Teknisk Wereld. The carpet and drapes were crimson, and there were several wooden pews, along with many stained glass windows. The walls were made of gray stone, and the front stage was wooden. There was a wooden cross on the wall as well.

It seemed like the church session had not started yet, for there were people at a distance, quietly talking to one another. But what caught Hope's attention were the three people at the front, nearby the stage. One of them was the pastor, wearing a white robe with gold symbols sewn near the edges of it. He carried a copy of the Holy Bible underneath his arm, and around his neck was a golden cross. Although his shoulder-length hair was gray, he did not seem very old-perhaps about twenty five. His pale blue eyes were gazing at the people in front of him with concern.

The other two people Hope recognized at once. One was her mother, although she was younger. The other was herself, looking to be about five or six. Amazed at what she was seeing, Hope went closer to them, trying to overhear what they were saying.

"Ma'am, I am sorry… but this cannot be allowed," the pastor said quietly.

"Why not? What is wrong with us coming to church?" Mrs. Gales demanded. "I am a Christian, and Hope is going to at least learn the Bible until she can decide for herself what she wants to follow! So why do you reject us?"

"I can see your good will," the pastor said. "Both you and your daughter's. However… your daughter would be greatly harmed if she were to attempt this."

"What do you mean?" Mrs. Gales demanded.

"This girl has the devil inside her," the pastor told her. "Hearing of things from God would only damage her…"

"What are you saying? Hope is not involved with the devil!" Mrs. Gales said furiously. "How dare you make such an accusation!"

"Mommy…" the young Hope said softly. "What does he mean?"

But it was the pastor that answered that. "I do not mean to offend you, ma'am… I do not mean to offend either of you. But for your daughter's sake, you cannot bring her to churches. They will only cause harm. I am not strong enough to cleanse her of Lucifer's touch; nobody in this world is. She will either submit to Lucifer, or she will cast the shadow off herself." The pastor closed his eyes. "I cannot help any more than that. Please, for your daughter's sake… leave this building, and never return to it until she has."

"…Fine," Mrs. Gales snapped. "I have lost all desire to be here anyway. We'll go to another church, where the pastor will accept us!"

"Ma'am, it will be no better if you do that," the pastor said gently. "I know that you think this makes no sense, but it is the truth. Do not bring her to any holy grounds until she has purified herself. She will know when this has happened."

"As if I'll listen to you!" Mrs. Gales snarled, turning and pulling her daughter with her. The younger Hope hastened to keep up with her long strides as people around the room turned to stare.

Although Mrs. Gales did not even look back, the younger Hope glanced over at the pastor again. The real Hope looked as well, and saw that his hands were closed in prayer. And although the younger Hope was all the way across the room from him, she heard his whispers.

"God, please bring peace unto this child… and allow her to remember, when the time is right…" He paused, and then said, "Thy will be done… Amen."

With that last, conclusive word, everyone within the church faded away, leaving Hope alone in the aisle.

"…That was a memory of mine," Hope said softly. "I had forgotten completely about it until now… was it because of what that pastor said?" She gazed at where he had been standing in confusion. "Who was he? How did he know all of that?" Then she said, "But that explains... I always wondered why mom never took me to church when she was a Christian. She must have taken that pastor's words to heart…" Hope shook her head. "And that must be why I have always tried to get out of going to church with anyone else, or anything that had to do with religion. Whether he meant to or not, that pastor placed a deep but subliminal fear of it in my heart…"

"Is it really his fault?"

Hope froze, and then slowly turned to face her reflection. "What do you mean?"

"Are you sure you don't also have something inside of you that is indeed causing this?" Dark Hope asked. "Perhaps it would have stopped you either way."

"I don't know…" Hope said. "I don't know at all. But what I do know is that to go on, I must defeat you." Hope turned on her Duel Disk. "So let's finish this."

"I agree." Dark Hope's Duel Disk appeared on her left arm.

Hope: 8000

Dark Hope: 8000

"If I am to start, I will summon Command Knight! (1600/1900) Then I lay one card down and end my turn," Hope said.

"Leaving your monster in attack mode was a poor decision," Dark Hope stated. "I summon Goblin Strike Team (2300/0) and attack!"

"I'll use Emissary of Harmony to save my Command Knight!" Hope countered.

"Fine. I lay two cards down and end my turn."

Although the cards Dark Hope had placed down made her nervous, Hope was not about to back down. "I summon Troop Commander, (1600/400) and use his effect to call forth Mystic Swordsman Lv 2! (1300/0) Mystic Swordsman destroys your Goblin Strike Team! Then Troop Commander attacks directly!"

"I activate Reactive Armor, destroying him," Dark Hope declared.

"…Then I'll have Command Knight attack," Hope said.

Dark Hope flipped over her other trap card. "I'll stop her with Curse of Darkness." (900/1900)

"All right. I end my turn. And since he killed a monster, I can sacrifice Mystic Swordsman Lv 2 to special Mystic Swordsman Lv 4 (2300/1600) from my deck!" Hope said.

"If that's what you want. I play Warrior's Return for Goblin Strike Team, and summon it," Dark Hope stated. "He suicides with Mystic Swordsman Lv 4. That is all."

"I play Cyclone on Curse of Darkness, and summon Twilight Zone Female Warrior!" (1900/1600) Hope said. "Both of my monsters attack directly!"

Both of the female monsters sped forward, slashing with their swords in unison. Two neat cuts were left on the reflection's torso.

Hope: 8000

Dark Hope: 4500

"I'm done," Hope decided.

"I summon Initiate Troops (1000/1000) and sacrifice them to kill Command Knight. Then I use Hammer Shoot to destroy Twilight Zone Female Warrior," Dark Hope said. "That is all."

Hope looked at her counterpart suspiciously. "Are you going easy on me?"

"Not really. Are you going to do anything?" Dark Hope inquired.

Still getting a bad feeling about how it was going, Hope said, "I play Calling Reinforcements to get my Retrained Elven Swordsman. Then I summon him! (1400/1200) I equip him with The Fused Weapon, Masamune Blade! (2200/1200) He attacks directly!"

Another sword wound was inflicted on Dark Hope. By now, she looked as though she was on her last legs.

Hope: 8000

Dark Hope: 2300

"That's all," Hope said.

"I lay one monster in defense mode and end my turn," Dark Hope stated.

"…I play Warrior's Return for Command Knight and summon her!" Hope said. (2600/1200) (1600/1900) "Command Knight attacks your defense monster!"

"My Blade Knight is destroyed…" (1600/1000)

"Retrained Elven Swordsman finishes you off!"

The Retrained Elven Swordsman sped forward, slashing at the reflection. She was cleaved apart in one blow.

Hope: 8000

Dark Hope: 0

"Heh… you did just as desired…" Dark Hope smirked. Then she winced, and faded away.

Hope was still concerned that her reflection had lost on purpose, but the church was beginning to fade away.

Hope reappeared in the aisle of the church in Teknisk Wereld. Her eyes first settled on the painting on the wall. Now all of the god cards' eyes seemed to be alive. It was as though they were staring at her. Satan still seemed to be asleep though.

Then Hope's gaze was drawn to the man sitting on the steps. She automatically recognized him, and after hesitating, began to slowly walk towards him.

The pastor looked up from the Bible he had been reading and smiled at her. "At long last, you have made it this far."

"Who are you, and how do you know so much about me?" Hope asked.

"That will be explained another time," the pastor said. "At this moment, you must focus on saving yourself."

"…Something is inside me," Hope said quietly.

"Yes. It will be up to you to remove it," the pastor stated. "Your companions will assist you, but you must be the one to expel it from your body."

"…And if I fail…"

"You know what will happen if you do," the pastor said.

"…Is God really watching over us?" Hope asked.

The pastor nodded. "Always. You may not see any sign of it, but He is. He is trying to maintain the balance in this world, which Lucifer threatens to destroy. And He cares about all of his children. This time, it was necessary for you to play the role you have. Your friends have roles as well. So no matter what happens, never forget that He will be there."

"…You seem so sure of your words," Hope said.

The pastor smiled again. "I have evidence I cannot ignore." Then he paused, and said, "After all of this has occurred, there is a matter I must attend to. However, you will become involved in it."

"What do you mean?" Hope asked.

"It is my sister," the pastor said. "I am trying to save her. I know you and your friends will be caught up in this as well." He stood up. "We will meet again at that time. I pray that you will help me when that time comes."

"…I'm sure we will," Hope replied. "When we do… will you tell me then?"

"If that is what you wish, Hope," the pastor said softly.

Then the church began to fade away, causing Hope to once more be in darkness.

…

"Hope!" Gaston said as she came through.

"I'm all right, don't worry," Hope assured.

"All right? You're not even scratched!" Rue said in disbelief.

"Everyone else has been wounded in some way or another," Darche said. "Yet you are not harmed…"

"I did not lose any Life Points during the duel," Hope confessed.

They all stared at her. Except Brandi, who still had her head buried in Max's shirt.

"What? It's true," Hope said, looking away.

"Does that mean Hope's better than all of us at dueling?" Rue inquired.

"Everyone's better than you at dueling," Miles pointed out.

"Shut up," Rue muttered.

"It may be a bit hard to believe, but we should be happy that Hope got through it easily, right?" Larka said.

"Yeah," Max agreed.

Then a golden cross appeared on Hope's mirror. The ten mirrors began to glow, and then the entire floor suddenly turned into a mirror as well.

"What's happening?" Neo exclaimed as Malon ran around, whimpering.

"That must be the portal to the next location," Zack said.

But then, the ceiling above them turned into a mirror too.

"Now what?" Miles groaned.

On the mirror that they stood on, three images appeared. They were Obelisk, Osiris, and Ra. Before anyone could react, all but Hope, Gaston, Rue, Ruecian, Max, Tenma, Will, and Neo were suddenly thrown into the air by an invisible force. They went through the mirror in the ceiling, which rippled and then became still again.

"What the hell was that?" Rue exclaimed.

"…We must be the ones that have to go on," Will stated.

"But why not the others?" Hope said worriedly.

"We held onto god cards, so that is probably why we remained here," Will said. "But why you, Hope?"

"…Kinda funny, isn't it? We're back to the original four that went out to stop Satan in the first place," Rue commented.

"Hey, you're right!" Neo said. "Maybe that's why Hope stayed?"

"…I don't think so," Gaston disagreed, shaking his head. "I suppose we will see once we proceed."

"Yeah. Let's continue," Max said.

Then the mirror on the floor began to glow, drawing them into it.

…

"She's unharmed…" Amy said as she watched Hope appear.

"Theonly one to not be. It must have gone well," Sarius stated.

"What's happening now?" Claire asked as the other two mirrors appeared.

"Most of them are going into the upper mirror…" Matt said.

"But why would they… ARGH!" Amy exclaimed as she was suddenly bowled over by Miles landing on her.

That was just enough warning for Sarius and Aya to get out of the way, along with their Soul Monsters. The others were less fortunate. Draken landed on Kisara, Larka did the same onto Claire, and Brandi fell onto Matt. Fell was thrown into Sakura, Zack into Perseus, and all of the Soul Monsters landed on Kazel.

"WHAT AM I, SOME KIND OF PACK MULE?" Kazel bellowed as she collapsed to the ground, weighed down by Darche, Gen, Malon, and Daine.

"Apparently," Gen replied, glancing down from his position on her back.

"Ow… you could have warned us," Claire groaned as Larka got off her.

"Sorry," Larka said. "But we had no idea that would happen."

"We would have been more cautious otherwise," Zack assured as Perseus helped him stand. Despite Zack's heavy weight, Perseus had managed to remain upright.

"Well, most of us would have been," Darche stated. "I'm not so sure about Miles…"

"Darn, he's on to me," Miles said, shifting his eyes.

In response, Amy grabbed him and threw him onto the lake, causing him to go sliding over the barrier on it.

"I was just kidding!" Miles protested before he slammed into a nearby dock.

"This is… awkward…" Draken said, blushing. Kisara was too, but Draken came to his senses and got off her. Fell was already up, leaving Sakura to mutter her complaints to herself.

Once Brandi had figured out who she was on, she instantly wrapped her arms around Matt, crying again. Matt began trying to comfort her as the Soul Monsters got off of Kazel.

"What an interesting method of coming back," Sarius commented with a smile of amusement.

"Yet not everyone is here," Zack stated.

"What, you mean Miles? He's coming over now," Amy said, indicating to him.

"Yeah, I'm back… no thanks to you," Miles muttered as he arrived.

"I was referring to them," Zack said, indicating to the lake.

They all turned in time to see their companions vanish into the second mirror.

"What? They get to go on, but we don't? That is so cheap!" Miles complained.

"I don't like it either…" Draken said.

"…Were you watching what we did this entire time?" Gen asked.

"Yep," Claire replied.

"My poor back…" Kazel moaned as she came over to the lake to watch too.

"All we can do now is continue to observe what is happening," Sakura sighed. She had apparently gotten over being flattened.

"And heal ourselves," Miles said, bringing out a Red Potion. This time, it worked. "Success!"

"But they won't get to use support cards yet," Draken pointed out as the others did the same, Matt doing it for Brandi. "So they're still in bad shape."

"At least they were not hurt as badly as Brandi or Zack," Daine said.

"Yeah. And Hope wasn't even injured," Larka recalled.

"Then they might make it…" Then Gen fell abruptly silent, staring into the lake.

Seeing the look on his face, they all turned their gaze to it. Even Brandi looked up. Comforted by Matt's presence, she was willing to watch what was about to happen.

To be continued…


	12. Revelations

So, we're here. This chapter reveals the answers to many, many questions. It is the longest chapter I have done so far, and probably ever will do, for it got exactly 19,000 words. A fitting end to this arc if I do say so myself.

Let's get started.

Captain Obvious: Destruction Ring does not seem to work… oh yeah, it's banned. Whoops. I guess that means Kuribo wins, scary as it is.

John: Um… Matt and Brandi confessed their love a long time ago, so I don't know what you mean by that. I don't know what you mean by banned author reviews either.

Epyon: That was horrible, for your info. Yet I still laughed.

**Chapter 12: Revelations**

"Where… are we?" Rue asked, looking around.

"…Is anyone else feeling déjà vu?" Neo said.

"This looks identical to the location where we faced Satan the first time," Will stated as they looked around in the darkness. "We might have been brought to the same place."

"I was hoping we'd never have to set our eyes on this location again…" Rue groaned.

"Same here," Gaston sighed. "But now we have no choice."

"So… where do we go?" Neo wondered.

"…He will come to us…" Hope whispered.

"Hope?" Max said.

But before she could say anything else, they all caught sight of a figure slowly walking towards them. And there was no mistaking who it was.

"…Oh my god…" Rue said softly.

Satan halted in front of them, smirking. "_God will not be here to assist you this time."_

His appearance was exactly the same, from his black outfit to his silver hair. Across his back was his pitchfork, and his dark aura was still cloaked around him. Then he opened his blood-red eyes, the reptilian pupils boring into them.

Even though Hope had been prepared for them, she still felt her breath leave her as she looked at him. Gaston's hand had locked onto his sword hilt, but he could not seem to bring himself to draw it. Rue seemed to be saying something very softly while Ruecian silently brought his staff into a ready position. Max just stared, ready to fight if necessary, while Tenma began growling. But in truth, he was horrified. Will seemed shaken but did not back down. Neo had paled, but had also gotten his staff ready.

"You were already beaten," Max finally said. "Give up. Leave here."

"_I did not know who I was facing before," _Satan hissed. "_Now, however, I do." _He held out his left hand. "_At last… you are here." _Then he brought his right hand up, revealing the three cards he held. They were glowing blue, red, and yellow.

"The god cards…" Will whispered.

"_Yes. Now, their purpose shall be revealed," _Satan said. "_Come back to me, my most loyal servant. Join me once more…"_

"What is he saying?" Rue asked.

Nobody had time to answer his question though. Hope was suddenly walking forward, her eyes glazed as she stared at the three god cards.

_No… not again…_

"Hope! What are you doing?" Max exclaimed.

"Stop!" Gaston protested, running towards her. But before he could reach her, he was suddenly thrown back by a clear barrier.

"_You are not to interfere," _Satan said as Hope continued to approach him.

"Get away from her!" Rue snarled, inserting a card into his Duel Disk. However, nothing happened. "Damn! Our support cards are still off limits!"

Ruecian lifted his hand and shot a blast of black magic at the barrier. It reflected off though, sailing over their heads and into the abyss.

Seeing that had not worked, Tenma shot forward and began clawing at the barrier, snarling furiously. He could feel Max's worry, his fear, and his overpowering anger at what Satan was doing. They fueled him, causing him to attack with a new ferocity.

"Tenma, enough! You're only wasting your strength!" Will called before he turned back to Hope. By this time, she had come in front of Satan, and was watching him with glazed eyes.

…_Not again…_

"_It is time for you to awaken," _Satan said. The three god cards were now stacked onto each other. He placed them into Hope's hands. Obeying unsaid instructions, she laid them over her heart.

…_Never again…_

"We can't stop!" Max protested. "We can't leave her there!"

"As much as I agree, this is not working at all!" Will said.

Satan laid his left hand on her forehead. "_Cast off that useless persona… become who you really are…"_

"And most importantly, we can't let him do what he's going to!" Max shouted.

…_I don't want to lose myself…_

"_Become…"_

"HOPE!" Gaston yelled, swinging his sword with all his might at the barrier. But it glanced off harmlessly.

"…_Despair."_

At that word, they were surrounded by Satan's dark aura, shrouding them from view.

"…Despair?" Neo said.

"No…" Max whispered. "Something's wrong… something's very wrong…"

Tenma clawed at the barrier again, but his paw suddenly went through the area as though it were merely air.

"He must have dropped the barrier!" Will realized.

"Then let's help her!" Rue said impatiently.

But before they could do anything, blue, red, and yellow light tore apart the aura. It took them a moment for their eyes to recover, but when they did, they could only stare.

Satan stood where he had been before, looking no different than before. But Hope had completely altered. Now she had a long, black, sleeveless dress, but no other garments, not even shoes. Her skin was as pale as Satan's. Dark brown hair had now become pure black, and was flowing down to her knees.

What astounded them the most was what she had acquired from the god cards themselves. Her head seemed to have a blue crown, but it was startlingly similar to Obelisk's head structure. On her back were two red wings, just like Osiris's. And she now had a golden tail, identical in appearance to Ra's, that was nearly as long as she was tall. In the center of her forehead was a blue jewel, matching the ones that crowned the god cards.

As they watched in stunned silence, she opened her eyes. That was when they all really could grasp the fact that this was not Hope. Her eyes were identical to Satan's, from the color to the terrifying evil that lay within them.

The woman in front of them flexed the wings experimentally, while moving her tail slowly. Then she looked up at the ones watching her and smiled coldly. "_At long last… I have awakened."_

…

"Jesus Christ," Miles whispered as he saw what had happened to Hope.

"What happened to her?" Amy said frantically.

"Th-that isn't Hope…" Larka stammered, shaking. "She… she's become… something else…"

"But what?" Zack inquired. "How did this happen? Was this… being… inside of her all along?"

"The god cards…" Brandi said softly. "She was always trying to get the god cards, I thought. But it wasn't Hope who wanted them… it was this thing…"

"…Now… how will they handle this…?" Sarius murmured to himself as he watched.

…

"…Hope?" Gaston said, staring in shock.

The woman's eyes flashed. "_Fool! That false identity no longer exists! That mockery of a name does not fit me. I am Despair!"_

"So that is what Satan calls her…" Will said.

"You're lying!" Gaston exclaimed, stepping forward. "Hope is still there! I can feel her!"

"_Silence!"_ Despair raised her left hand, blue energy forming around it. Then she leapt in front of Gaston and slammed it into his chest, causing him to go flying back. Ruecian quickly ran in front of his flight path to intercept him, but the collision caused them both to fall.

"Gaston! Ruecian!" Neo exclaimed, running over to them. But the others remained where they were.

"…Hope would never do that…" Rue growled.

"_Are you all so easily persuaded by force? Then keep on coming. I will tear down as many as it takes to convince you otherwise," _Despair said with a smirk.

"That… that can't be true…" Max said, going forward, his eyes misting over. "Hope? You have to be able to recognize me… Hope!"

"_Enough of this!"_ Despair's left hand crackled with red electricity this time. She pointed it at Max, and it shot out of her hand towards him.

Only Tenma's quick reaction saved Max from being fried. He sprang in front of Max, taking the attack with a snarl.

"She can't be gone!" Max said desperately as he backed around Tenma, who continued to growl in pain. "She wouldn't give in that easily! Please come back, Hope!"

"I've never seen Max act like this…" Rue whispered to Will.

"The one he loves is fading before his very eyes," Will stated. "His reaction is to be expected."

"_You are wasting your time!"_ Despair said.

"If I can do anything to bring back Hope, it's worth it!" Max took another step forward.

"_Stay away!" _Despair's hand glowed yellow. She raised it and shot a flaming beam at him. Max closed his eyes, awaiting his fate.

But just before it connected, the fire that came from it died away. He cautiously opened his eyes and saw that Despair was clutching the area over her heart.

"_W-what is this? The host… she is still in me…" _Despair snarled.

"_Since you have just reemerged, it will take time for you to completely possess the body," _Satan stated. "_After a short while, she will be gone forever. Emotional trauma could also get rid of her."_

"_Such as slaying all of her worthless friends?"_ Despair assumed, her eyes gleaming.

"_That is quite possible."_

"So Hope managed to stop her!" Rue said. "There's still a chance that we can save her!"

"Hope…" Gaston groaned, sitting up slowly as Neo tried to support him. Ruecian had been relatively unharmed in the crash, and had now gone in front of the others, ready to bring up a barrier of his own if necessary.

"Save your strength," Neo said worriedly. "You might be the only one who can bring her back."

"_Fine!_ _I will destroy all of them!" _She lifted her hand again, but then winced, putting it down. "_That damn host! Quit interfering!"_

"Those attacks…" Rue trailed off.

"They look like weaker versions of the god card's attacks," Will stated. "It's almost as though she has fused with them…"

"_Then if I cannot use force, I will kill them in other ways!" _A deck of cards appeared in Despair's hand. "_The three of you shall face me in duels, one at a time. If your Life Points reach zero, you die."_

"And what if yours do?" Rue demanded.

"_They will not," _Despair smirked. "_You cannot deplete my Life Points. Now, who will face me first?"_

Wordlessly, Max stepped forward.

"Max! Are you sure about this? Maybe Will or I should go and try to find out her weakness!" Rue said.

"No," Max said quietly. "Hope is in her. I'm going to find out the method to save her."

"…You stubborn…" Rue muttered.

"Max, do not let your emotions get in the way," Will said, his eyes flashing with concern. "It might be necessary to hurt or even kill Despair. Don't forget that."

Max did not respond to that. Instead, he turned on his Duel Disk. Tenma went to his side, seeming injured by the attack but more than ready to help Max.

"_Now… it begins…" _Despair said with a cold smile. Her wings slowly began to flap, although she did not even come close to taking flight, while her tail gruesomely writhed.

…

"Why did she stop the attack?" Claire asked.

"Hope has to still be there," Gen said. "There's no other explanation."

"Then all is not lost," Daine stated.

"But how… how can she be brought back?" Amy exclaimed with her hands tightly clenched in worry.

"That's what's infuriating; we can't do anything from here, so we're completely useless!" Draken said.

Larka shook her head. "Not completely. We can still watch and support them."

"But they won't know we're doing that… will they?" Miles said doubtfully.

"…Well, maybe. They might be able to feel that they're being cheered on," Sakura replied. "It's not like we lose anything from doing it, right?"

"They will find a way. Somehow, they will find a way," Kazel assured.

"…They might have already," Perseus stated, indicating to the water.

The group turned back to the lake to see Max turn on his Duel Disk.

"He wants to duel her? He's mental! Not that we didn't know that already, but… seriously, does he really think that's going to work?" Miles said.

"At this point, he'll try anything," Matt answered. "…It comes down to whether he wins or not."

"Max…" Brandi said softly as the duel began.

…

Max: 8000

Despair?

As Max drew his cards, he happened to glance at Despair's Life Point counter. To his surprise, instead of saying the standard 8000, it had ? in its place.

"What happened to your Life Point counter?" Max asked.

"_I told you that that you could not deplete my Life Points,"_ Despair said. "_Make your move."_

"…Fine. I summon Demon Soldier and lay two cards down. That's all," Max stated.

Despair smirked as she looked at her hand. "_You will find that my deck just seems to give me the most useful cards at appropriate times. By summoning Troop Commander, I can bring out another one from my hand with his effect. _(1200/400) _After laying a card down, you may go."_

"I've seen Hope duel very often," Max said. "This is also the first time you are using her deck. I have the advantage."

"_I am afraid not," _Despair replied in her chilling voice. "_You will see why shortly."_

Unsure on how to reply to that, Max continued his turn. "…I'll lay a monster in defense mode. Then I activate Enemy Controller!"

"_I activate my trap card in response, Magic Jammer," _Despair said. "_To do so, I discard Immense Battleship Big Core."_

"What?" Max exclaimed. "But Hope doesn't use either of those cards!"

"_Who said I was using her deck?" _Despair pointed out. "_You merely assumed that."_

…

"What the heck was that?" Miles asked as the Magic Jammer was activated.

"I didn't know Hope had Magic Jammer in her deck…" Larka said.

"She doesn't," Amy said, still pale. "Hope dislikes cards that require you to discard for their activation. If anything, she would use Magic Drain, but definitely not Magic Jammer…"

"Come to think of it, do any of us use Magic Jammer? It isn't a bad card," Draken commented.

"I do," Zack replied.

"Oh yeah, that's true," Draken recalled. "But nobody else, huh? Why would she use it then? Did she change decks?"

"That is possible," Daine stated. "Although she used two Troop Commanders, they fit in other deck types as well. Miles is a good example of this."

"At long last, I get recognized for my accomplishments!" Miles said.

"If you can call deck building an accomplishment," Draken muttered.

"You're lucky that my attention is on what is happening to Max, or else I'd argue that point," Matt said without looking up.

"Time will tell if she is using a new deck," Kazel stated. That closed the discussion and they continued to watch.

…

"A new deck? But what theme would she be trying to play?" Rue asked. "I mean, who plays Troop Commander and Immense Battleship Big Core in the same deck?"

"Apparently her," Neo said.

Rue rolled his eyes. "No duh. Seriously though, they don't fit together at all unless you're trying for some kind of weird stall deck."

"…I have a few suspicions," Will stated. "Who do you know that uses both Magic Jammer and Immense Battleship Big Core?"

"Zack. But what does that have to do with this?" Rue asked.

"If my theory is right, you'll know soon enough."

Max looked at his hand before saying, "I cannot do anything else."

"_I summon Magic Warrior Breaker. _(1900/1000) _By removing his magic counter, the first card you laid down is destroyed," _Despair said.

"That means I lose my Magic Cylinder…" Max trailed off as the Breaker sliced apart the trap.

…

"…That settles it: this is not Hope's deck," Draken said bluntly.

"But what did she do to it?" Kisara wondered.

"…Let's keep watching. We might find out then," Claire stated.

…

"What is she playing at?" Rue said in frustration. "That doesn't go with her other monsters either!"

"Who among us uses it?" Will inquired.

Rue looked over at him in irritation. "Why are you asking that?"

"Just think about it," Will said.

Rue sighed. "Fine. I use it, and so do you. Brandi too; she beat me down with him in free duels often enough anyway."

"Has Hope seen you or Brandi play Breaker?" Will inquired.

"I don't know!" Rue said in exasperation. "You think I keep track of that?"

"Well, she has at least seen me play him before," Will stated. "That does not rule out my theory."

"Would you just tell me what it is?" Rue growled. "I'm sick of being left in the dark!"

"No pun intended?" Neo said, indicating to the black area they were in.

"Shut up," Rue muttered.

"I believe that Despair can use any card Hope has seen us play," Will said. "I am not sure if this applies to people like Amy and Claire, since they did not constantly stay with us. People such as you, myself, and Max have remained with her longer though. We saw her play cards Hope originally had, or Miles. Then there were two of Zack's cards, and then one of yours and mine. There is no pattern to this deck. She's just pulling out cards she is aware of."

"…You have got to be kidding me," Rue said in a flat tone.

"That is what I think," Will replied with a shrug. "Remember that she said she gets cards that help her in correct situations. That only enforces my theory."

"_You are quite the intelligent one,"_ Despair said with a hint of sarcasm in her voice. "_Being aware of what my deck is will not change anything though. With a variety of ten decks at my disposal, I will be able to counter almost anything played."_

"Key word, almost…" Gaston said as he finally stood with his arm over his chest. "He'll still win. You admitted that you had a weakness, and Max will find it."

"_Highly doubtful," _Despair said, looking rather bored of the conversation. "_I tire of this topic. Breaker attacks your defense monster."_

"It's my Twilight Zone Trainer. (100/2000) You fail to destroy him and lose 400 Life Points," Max told her. Despite what he had just heard about her deck, he was not concerned. It didn't matter what she was using; he had to win either way.

Despair did not react as the Breaker's sword clanged off the Twilight Zone Trainer. "_Believe as you wish. I end my turn."_

"Demon Soldier attacks Breaker!" Max declared. However, even as the Demon Soldier cut through Breaker, Despair did not seem concerned. "I lay a monster in defense mode and end my turn."

"_I activate Early Burial to special summon Breaker." _Black energy began to come from Despair, entering the ground, where a red cross formed. Breaker suddenly burst out of the ground, glaring at the Demon Soldier as he emerged. "_Then I summon Dunamis Valkyria _(1800/1050) _and equip her with Demon Axe. _(2800/1050) _She attacks Demon Soldier."_

"I'll stop her with Torture Wheel!" Max announced.

"_Since she is unable to attack, I will have Breaker attack your other face down monster," _Despair decided.

"My X-E-N-O is destroyed… (200/100) I will take control of Breaker through his effect, even though it won't benefit me," Max said.

"_My turn is over." _The Breaker that had just gone to Max's field instantly turned around and went back to hers.

"You take 500 damage from Torture Wheel," Max told her as he drew. In response to his words, the Torture Wheel began to glow red-hot.

"_It is insignificant," _Despair stated as the Torture Wheel returned to normal. The Dunamis Valkyria seemed completely unharmed.

"I don't care. I mainly wanted to stop her attack," Max stated. "After using Jar of Greed to draw two cards, I play Cyclone to destroy Demon Axe. Then Demon Soldier attacks Breaker!"

The Demon Soldier easily chopped apart Breaker.

"Now I activate Tenma's Deck Master ability!" Max continued.

"Huh… now that I think about it, we've never gotten to see it," Rue commented.

Tenma began to growl softly, and it steadily grew into a full snarl. As he did, in the Demon Soldier's other hand, a black object began to form. By the time Tenma suddenly cut off into silence, the Demon Soldier was holding another sword that had been created from dark energy.

"By discarding a card from my hand, such as Demon King of the Underworld: Hades…" Max slid him into his Cemetery. "My monster can attack again. He will only do half the battle damage that would normally occur, but that won't matter." The Demon Soldier used his new sword to cleave through the Dunamis Valkyria. The Torture Wheel faded away as she did. "I'm done after that."

…

"So Tenma can let monsters attack twice?" Gen assumed as they watched the Demon Soldier destroy Dunamis Valkyria.

"That's pretty good, although I'd say Olympion was a bit more broken," Draken said.

Zack noticed that Larka seemed disturbed despite the way the duel was going. "Is something wrong?"

"I'm just surprised," Larka answered. "I thought I was the only person who played Dunamis Valkyria…"

"You were, until now," Miles said.

"…Then I might have finally figured out what she is trying to do," Zack stated.

"Let's hear it," Darche said.

"I think she is using cards that she has seen us play along with Hope's cards," Zack explained. "All of the ones she has played so far correspond to us, and there does not seem to be much of a theme to her deck."

"Wow. She must really suck at making decks if that's the case," Miles commented.

"…But what if she's doing something to get her certain cards whenever she wants them?" Brandi said worriedly.

"Let's hope not," Matt replied grimly.

…

"_Enough of this foolishness," _Despair said. "_I activate Black Magic Curtain, special summoning Black Magician _(2500/2100) _from my deck."_ As she said that, black energy came from her, forming into the curtain.

"…Why did I have to include that in my deck?" Rue groaned as the purple-armored magic-user emerged.

"Because you want Max to die?" Neo offered.

"…No. Just no," Rue said, glaring at him.

"_He attacks Demon Soldier."_ At her words, the Black Magician lifted his staff and sent out a wave of black magic, tearing through the Demon Soldier and hitting Max, burning into him.

Max: 7400

Despair?

Max recovered from the blow quickly. "I assume you're done, so I'll set a monster in defense mode. That's it."

"_I summon Goblin Strike Team _(2300/0) _and attack Twilight Zone Trainer. Then Black Magician attacks your face down monster."_

"You've destroyed my Newt," (1900/400) Max said. "As a result, your Black Magician loses 500 attack." (2000/2100)

Despair simply smirked. "_The Troop Commanders attack you directly."_

The Troop Commanders moved in unison, slicing Max at the same instant to make a bloody X across his chest.

Max: 5000

Despair?

"_Make your move."_

…

"That must have hurt," Miles said with a wince as they saw Max get attacked.

Draken was watching tensely. "I knew something like this would happen… since Max hasn't been healed since what happened last time, he could actually…" He trailed off as Matt gave him a warning look.

"Whether he's injured or not, Max will still win. Just wait and see."

…

"This is what I was afraid of," Will stated as Max drew. "Going into this duel without healing first was a major disadvantage for him."

"Come on, it's Max!" Rue said. "He can take any amount of physical pain. He's lived through two different attacks of Obelisk, one that should have killed him, remember?"

"True…" They returned his attention to the duel as Max spoke.

"I summon Giant Orc and attack Black Magician. I'm done after that."

"_I lay a monster down. One Troop Commander destroys Giant Orc while the other attacks you directly. Then you may go."_

Max was slashed once more, adding a third wound to his chest.

Max: 3800

Despair?

By now, Max was significantly weakened. He shook his head as he drew, trying to think clearly. "I'll also play a monster face down, and then I end."

"_I play Jar of Greed, and then lay a monster in defense mode. I switch Goblin Strike Team to attack mode and attack your monster," _Despair said.

"You've destroyed my Mimic of Darkness Lv 1. (100/1000) His reverse effect lets me draw one card," Max stated.

"_The Troop Commanders attack directly once more, and then I am done."_

Two more bleeding cuts were added. Max was finding it difficult to stand now, but managed to stay focused.

Max: 1400

Despair?

"I lay a monster in defense mode… and two cards face down. That's all," Max managed to say.

Despair glanced at the card she had drawn, and she smiled, chilling them. "_Now, it is over… I sacrifice Goblin Strike Team and both Troop Commanders for Immense Divine Soldier of Obelisk!"_

Max could honestly say he was not surprised by the fact that the god card was accessible to her. Still, he felt a rush of horror as Obelisk crashed into the ground in front of him.

…

"Max!" Brandi gasped as Obelisk appeared.

"This is not good. This is really not good," Miles muttered.

"Don't give up on him now!" Larka said. "Max has beaten Obelisk before; he can do it again!"

"Yeah… he will…" Matt agreed. But the unspoken fear remained amongst all the spectators.

…

"She's using the god cards too!" Rue exclaimed.

"Obviously…" Will said without turning away from Obelisk.

Max's gaze locked with the red eyes of Obelisk. Yet something seemed wrong with Obelisk… he did not seem quite as frightening as before… On an impulse, he looked at Despair.

Despair wore the same look as it had had when she had suppressed Hope. "_What is this? Why is Obelisk weakened?"_

"_You have reabsorbed some of his power," _Satan stated. "_Nevertheless, he is strong enough to finish this."_

"_Yes… I flip summon Saint Magician _(300/400) _for Jar of Greed, and use it. Then I play Devil's Sanctuary for a Metal Devil Token._ (0/0) _I sacrifice both of them to use Obelisk's ability, God Hand Crusher!"_

"God Hand Crusher? What does that do again?" Neo asked.

"I believe Kouten said it destroys all of the opponent's monsters and does 4000 damage," Will said grimly.

"4000 damage!" Rue yelped. "But that means Max has lost!"

"No… I don't think so…" Gaston said.

He did not get a chance to elaborate as Obelisk slammed his fist into the monster on Max's field, completely obliterating it.

"…That was my Dweller of Darkness Shadowkiller…" Max said. (1400/200) "But I took no damage…"

"That must be what she means by Obelisk being weakened," Will stated. "His special effects are not as overpowered as they were before. Is that what you thought, Gaston?"

"To an extent, yes," Gaston replied.

"Since you destroyed my Shadowkiller…" Max looked at his trap card, and after a moment of hesitation, flipped it over. "I activate Soul Line. I'll pay 1000 Life Points to summon… Newt…" He was cut off as white light began to come from him, forming into Newt. (1900/400)

Max: 400

Despair?

The change was alarming. Feeling as though all of his strength had left him, Max suddenly collapsed to his knees, barely stopping himself from hitting the floor face-first.

"What are you doing?" Rue exclaimed. "That'll only get you killed faster!"

"…I don't have… much choice now… do I?" Max said. "Besides… it might help… in other ways…"

"What does he mean by that?" Rue asked as Max struggled to rise.

"…Hope gave him that card," Gaston said softly. "I assume he meant the sentimental value."

"_You were unwise to not place him in defense," _Despair stated.

"Not really. I activate my other card… Menacing Roar!" Max said. "Now you cannot declare… any attacks…"

"_It is useless to resist," _Despair said. "_You are merely delaying the inevitable. I lay one card down. Take your final turn."_

"Yes… this will be my final turn…" Max agreed as he laid his fingers on his deck. "I will either draw the card I need, or I will fall. But for Hope's sake… it will be the former."

"Go on, Max! Take him down!" Rue shouted.

"I think I know what he wants," Will said with a slight smile. "And if he gets it, Obelisk will indeed be finished."

Max slowly drew the card and looked at it. Then he said, "I bring out Tenma!"

Tenma went to his field at once, snarling at Obelisk. (2500/0)

"_What do you hope to accomplish?" _Despair smirked.

"Even if I don't know how to take you down… Obelisk is going to be destroyed!" Max declared. "I equip Tenma with Power of Teamwork, raising his stats by 1600 for himself and Newt!" (4100/1600)

"_Impossible!"_ Despair snarled as Tenma began to glow a brilliant gold. "_How could you draw the only card in your deck that would destroy Obelisk?"_

"I told you, I can't afford to lose! Hope's depending on me!" Max said. "Tenma, attack! Destroy Obelisk!"

Tenma sprang forward at once, slashing at Obelisk furiously. Obelisk had no time to retaliate before Tenma began to tear him apart.

Max: 400

Despair?

Obelisk began to glow blue, and then shattered apart. As he did, Despair suddenly cried out. To their amazement, the blue spikes decorating her forehead suddenly shattered as well. Her wings, tail, and jewel seemed intact though.

"_I don't understand…" _Despair said. "_I have lost… Obelisk's power…"_

"_This should not have happened," _Satan stated. For the first time, his calm exterior seemed somewhat shaken. "_Even if Obelisk was destroyed, he should have merely gone to the Cemetery. But he is actually gone…"_

Max was also feeling something happening to him. A sudden weakness spread throughout him, as though he had lost something too. Before he could understand what was happening to him, he fell forward.

"Max!" Rue ran over to him, turning him onto his back. "What happened to you?"

"I… don't know…" Max said, his eyes slightly glazed. "I was… weak before… but now… all of my strength… it's gone…"

"You've done more than enough," Rue said before turning to Will. "Help me get him out of the way!"

Tenma growled threateningly at Despair as Rue and Will transported Max a short distance away, but she did not even try to stop them. She had one of her pale hands clenched to her white forehead and was grimacing.

"But Hope…" Max protested as they laid him down again.

"We'll take care of everything else," Rue said firmly as Tenma went over to them. "You need to relax. Try to gain back some of your strength."

"…All right," Max finally agreed. "But I… want to see… what happens…"

Tenma sat down behind him, and Max managed to prop himself against one of his strong forelegs. "No need… to worry… about me… just concentrate… on Hope…" Max said.

"Right. We're on it." With that, Rue strode over to where Max had been standing. Ruecian followed him at once.

"_What are you doing?" _Despair said.

"Max's in no condition to go on. I'll pick up the duel from where he left off," Rue stated. "Any objections?"

"_I do not care. Once you have died, I will return to him," _Despair growled.

"You think I'm going to die?" Rue said as he turned on his Duel Disk. "Sorry, but I still have too many things to do before I go!"

"_You have sealed your fate…"_ Despair stated.

"Actually, Rue has a better chance against you than Max did," Will informed her. "Now we know your weakness. By destroying the god cards, your appearance crumbles."

"_Silence, mortal!_ _That would not be the end of me, even if it were to occur!" _Despair snarled. "_Pick up from his turn before I lose my patience!"_

…

"Score one for the good guys!" Miles cheered as Tenma ripped Obelisk apart.

"Thank God…" Brandi said quietly. Matt nodded in agreement.

"…Wait. Something is happening to her…" Gen said as Despair's appearance altered.

"She just lost a part of herself," Kazel stated. "But what does that mean?"

"Perhaps that is how she will be defeated," Zack said. "If they destroy all three god cards, she might die as well."

"If that happens, will she turn back into Hope?" Larka said worriedly.

"…Possibly," Zack answered.

"Hey, wait… what happened to Max?" Draken said, frowning at the image in the lake.

"Did he take damage from that move?" Daine asked.

"…No, so I don't see why he'd collapse…" Matt answered.

"At least he isn't dead," Draken said as Rue and Will transported him.

"It looks like he won't be doing much else," Sakura said. "So who now?"

As if to answer her question, Rue went forward.

"Gallant moron," Draken groaned, putting his hand over his eyes. "Does he know what he's getting into?"

"Full-well, I'd assume," Perseus said. "But that will not stop him."

"…Max was able to win. Rue can too," Claire said. Although she looked nervous, her voice was firm.

"Definitely, but it's going to be one heck of a ride for him," Draken said.

Sarius and Aya had been silent so far. Aya finally spoke up by saying, "What do you think?"

"One down and two more to go," Sarius replied. "I was not very impressed with Obelisk's performance though. It is possible that he is weaker this time around, although I am not sure why that would be. Once I see Ra, I will be able to confirm if that is true or not."

"So until then, we'll watch," Aya said.

…

Rue: 8000

Despair?

"I'll summon Skilled Black Magician (1900/1700) and lay two cards down. Your turn," Rue said.

"_I place one monster in defense and a card down. Then I activate Hidden Tomes to shuffle Jar of Greed and Early Burial into my deck. That is all," _Despair stated.

"Ugh… if she can draw whatever she needs to, that's going to be a pain," Rue muttered underneath his breath. Then he said, "I play Power of Magicians on Skilled Black Magician! (3400/3200) Then I activate Book of Sun on your face down monster!"

"_Mimic of Darkness Lv 1._ (100/1000) _I draw one card."_

"Dang it… she got that from me…" Max muttered.

"Now I play Sealing Swords of Light to stop you from attacking for three turns!" Rue said. "Since I have three magic counters of Skilled Black Magician, I'll sacrifice him to special summon Black Magician from my deck!" (2500/2100)

"Why did he do that?" Neo asked. "Skilled Black Magician was stronger."

"Rue has more supporting cards for Black Magician, such as Thousand Knives," Will replied. "He wants Black Magician for that reason."

"Black Magician attacks Mimic of Darkness!" Rue announced.

The Mimic of Darkness was destroyed almost instantly. But as the black magic went towards Despair, a dark aura suddenly appeared. The attack hit it harmlessly.

"What was that?" Rue said.

"_I will not fall victim to such weak attacks," _Despair stated.

"So depleting Life Points does nothing at all," Rue sighed. "I lay a card face down and end my turn."

…

"Is she invincible against attacks or something?" Draken said.

"Probably. It seems that the god cards are her only weakness," Zack stated.

"That is odd, seeing as they are also her greatest strength," Kazel said.

"Rue has to last long enough to make her summon one though," Matt reminded them.

"He will," Claire said confidently. "He will."

…

"_You have made a poor choice by bringing out Black Magician," _Despair said. "_I activate Brain Control on him."_

"How did she use that?" Will said from the sidelines. "I do not recall anyone in our group having it in their deck."

Rue slapped his hand to his forehead. "Damn you, Draken! He has it in his deck. I free dueled him once, and he used that on my Black Magician to kill me. At least I won't lose to it this time around."

"Hope saw this duel?" Will inquired.

"Yeah. You weren't there because Neo had blown something up again," Rue recalled. "I think it was your waffle-maker."

"Oh yeah, that was fun!" Neo said, grinning despite the tense situation.

Will glared at him. "I still do not know how you got the brilliant idea to put gasoline in there…"

"Either way, what do you hope to do with Black Magician?" Rue asked. "You can't exactly attack me."

"_I need him for a sacrifice. By playing Early Burial to revive my own Black Magician, I can sacrifice both for Magic Hierophent of the Black." _(3200/2800)

"…I hate my life," Rue muttered as the Hierophent appeared.

"_That is all," _Despair concluded.

…

"Do any of us actually have Brain Control in our decks?" Miles asked.

"I do," Draken answered. "Oh yeah… Hope saw that free duel where I slaughtered Rue with it. Good times."

"What about Devil's Sanctuary? I thought Matt was the only one who used it," Kazel said.

"No, Max does too," Matt replied. "Hope probably witnessed a free duel of his too."

"She has been watching him more closely over the past months too, remember?" Gen added.

"So she might have cards we aren't aware of," Darche said.

"It probably won't be that big of a deal," Perseus stated. "We know each other's decks pretty well. There are generally few exceptions like these."

"That's true," Draken said.

…

Rue looked at the only card in his hand and sighed. "I pass."

"_Those infernal swords…" _Despair growled. "_I lay a monster in defense mode and end my turn."_

"…I pass again," Rue said, looking annoyed.

"_I activate a magic card, Confiscate," _Despair said with a smirk. "_I will look at your hand and choose a card to discard."_

"I won't let you get away with that!" Rue retorted. "I'll use Ruecian's Deck Master ability to discard Thousand Knives to negate your magic card and destroy it!" At his words, Ruecian sliced apart the Confiscate card that had appeared.

"_Fine._ _Make your move," _Despair said. As she said that, the Sealing Swords of Light vanished.

…

"She just used Confiscate," Draken groaned.

"That's going to leave him at a disadvantage hand-wise," Matt sighed.

"This won't end well…" Sakura said gloomily.

"Hey! She stole one of my signature cards!" Miles complained.

Everyone turned and glared at him.

"…Well, it's true," Miles muttered sheepishly.

"You using it just screwed Rue over," Draken pointed out.

"…Actually, he just negated it with Ruecian's Deck Master ability," Claire said.

"Lucky you; you're off the hook," Draken commented before turning back to the duel. Miles rolled his eyes and then looked as well.

…

"…This is perfect timing," Rue said while his eye twitched. "The one time my deck decides to give me nothing useful is when I'm fighting one of the most important duels I will ever be in. Thank you, deck, I love you too." Then he said to Despair, "I pass for the third time in a row," and mentally braced himself for what was coming.

"_At last… I order Hierophent to attack directly,"_ Despair said with a cold smile.

The wave of black magic hit Rue dead-on, causing him to cry out in pain as he staggered back.

Rue: 4800

Despair?

"Damn it… I knew it would hurt, but not this much…" Rue said with a wince.

"_It is your turn," _Despair stated.

"I need something good here…" Rue looked at the card he had drawn. "Ugh… I don't like doing this, but I really have no choice at this point. I summon Injection Angel Lily! (400/1500) Then I attack with her, paying 2000 Life Points to make her attack rise by 3000!" (3400/1500)

As the Injection Angel Lily sped forward, white light left Rue to enter her. He felt himself weakening as he lost Life Points, but was not in the danger zone yet. The Injection Angel Lily jabbed the Hierophent with her needle, causing him to bloat before exploding.

Rue: 2800

Despair?

"I'm done," Rue said.

"_That leaves you vulnerable," _Despair stated. "_I summon Regenerating Mummy _(1800/1600) _and attack Lily."_

"Now that your Hierophent is finally gone, I can use my trap cards!" Rue told her. "I activate Claymore Mine in response to your attack, destroying Regenerating Mummy!"

"_There is nothing else to be done."_

"I'll switch Lily to defense mode and lay a monster face down. Your turn," Rue said.

"_I use Jar of Greed and then end my turn," _Despair said shortly.

"Talk about cheap… you already got both of the cards you used Hidden Tomes for." Rue thought for a moment, and then smiled. "Well, this ought to even up the odds. I flip summon Saint Magician (300/400) and get back Sealing Swords of Light. I'll play them now."

"…_How irritating…" _Despair growled as her Lord of Dragons –Dragon Master– (1200/1100) was revealed.

"I don't like the looks of that," Rue said. "But I can't do much about it now. I lay a monster in defense mode and end my turn."

"…_I pass," _Despair said flatly.

"Awesome. That might make up for a few of my crummy draws," Rue grinned. "I switch Saint Magician to defense mode and play another monster face down. I'm done after that."

"_I will not tolerate this any longer," _Despair said. "_I activate Calling Reinforcements."_

"Hell no! I discard Black Magic for Ruecian's Deck Master ability to stop you!" Rue exclaimed. Knowing why Rue was alarmed, Ruecian quickly cut up the card.

"Good thing you did," Will commented. "Just imagine the variety of monsters she would have."

"No kidding," Rue shuddered.

"_In that case, I activate Cyclone on your Sealing Swords of Light," _Despair said.

"I won't let you get away with that either!" Rue declared. "I discard Jewel of the Wise so Ruecian can stop that one too!" Ruecian slashed apart that card as well.

"_Now you will be unable to stop me," _Despair stated. "_I activate Tempest to destroy all of your magic and trap cards."_

"…You really walked into that one," Will said.

"Thanks, I noticed," Rue growled. "I lose my Sealing Swords of Light, Cry of the Living Dead, and another Claymore Mine."

"_I have nothing more to do," _Despair said.

"All I can do is lay another monster in defense mode…" Rue sighed.

"_Then it is time to begin your destruction," _Despair smirked. "_I activate Dragon Calling Horn to special summon two Blue Eyes White Dragons from my hand._ (3000/2500) _Then I switch Lord of Dragons to attack mode and attack Saint Magician. One Blue Eyes White Dragon will attack Injection Angel Lily, and the other will attack your most recent face down monster."_

"…I really, really hate Draken right now. Seriously," Rue said as the white lightning attacks decimated his monsters. "You killed my Double Coston as well." (1700/1650)

"_Then it is your turn."_

…

"Oh great… I just screwed Rue over by existing," Draken commented.

"Good job," Miles said sarcastically.

"Thanks, I try my best," Draken replied.

"He's probably saying something along the lines of, 'I'm going to strangle Draken when I see him again!'" Miles told him.

"I don't doubt it," Draken agreed. "I'll be careful when he does."

…

"I'm going to strangle Draken when I see him again!" Rue snarled. "I pass."

"_The two Blue Eyes White Dragons will attack your monsters," _Despair said.

Rue shielded his eyes from the bright blasts, and waited until they were gone before he looked up again. "You destroyed another Saint Magician and another Skilled Black Magician. I'll take back Sealing Swords of Light with Saint Magician's effect."

"…_I will particularly enjoy your death," _Despair growled. "_Lord of Dragons attacks directly."_

Despite the Lord of Dragon's low attack strength, the punch he hit Rue with did a surprising amount of damage. Rue figured it was probably because he was already weakened so much, but that did not make it any less painful. He was having difficulty concentrating now; his thoughts were blurred from agony and his loss of strength.

Rue: 1600

Despair?

"_It is your turn," _Despair ended.

"I play Sealing Swords of Light for the third time," Rue said, smiling slightly as he say Despair give him a look of hatred. "That's all I can do."

"_I pass,"_ Despair said.

"I pass too," Rue stated.

"…_I pass…" _Despair growled.

"…And so do I, for the fifth time this duel," Rue grumbled.

"This is a bit anti-climatic," Neo commented.

"You could say that," Will agreed.

…

"…If this wasn't an extremely important duel, I'd probably be laughing by now," Miles said.

"I completely agree," Draken replied.

…

"_Although I still cannot attack this turn, I am finally ready to bring out the object of your demise," _Despair said with her cold smile. "_I sacrifice Lord of Dragons and both my Blue Eyes White Dragons for Saint Dragon-God of Osiris!" _(3000/3000)

"…Now would be a great time for a miracle," Rue said as Osiris appeared. But to his surprise, Rue found that he wasn't nearly as terrified of him as he should have been.

"…_Osiris is weakened as well," _Despair hissed. "_It will not matter though. I end my turn, so the Sealing Swords of Light will finally vanish."_

As they faded away, Rue shook his head. "What can I draw that will help me defeat Osiris?"

"You have the cards to do it," Will stated. "Winning is completely possible. Draw, and you will see."

"...Yeah… you can win," Max managed to say. "Because… despite my first reactions… on meeting you… you play well… when it matters… and now… it matters more than ever…"

"Couldn't have said it better myself," Gaston said. He had been mainly silent throughout the duels while trying to recover his strength, but he was doing better now. "We have faith in you as well."

"…Thanks," Rue said, seeming awkward yet pleased by the praise. Then he drew his card and looked at it. As he did, he began to laugh.

"What is so amusing?" Will inquired.

Rue finally managed to gain control over himself. "This card… I never thought I'd be using it in this way. It's useful in certain situations, but usually leaves the activator at a disadvantage hand-wise… now it'll actually save me. I activate Double Magic! By discarding a magic card from my hand-Diffusion Wave in this case-I can use a magic card from your Cemetery. So I activate Confiscate!"

"_What?"_ Despair stared at her hand in disbelief.

"Tell me what's in your hand so I can choose what you need to discard." Then he winced as dark energy came from him to be used for the card's activation cost. By the time the cost had been paid, Rue nearly collapsed. Ruecian managed to grab his shoulder to keep him up though.

Rue: 600

Despair?

"_I have Igzarion Universe, Hammer Shoot, and Shrink…" _Despair said.

"Discard Shrink… so now Osiris has a stat drop…" Rue managed to say. (2000/2000) "We can win now…" He looked up at Ruecian. "I need you to destroy Osiris."

Ruecian nodded, and after a moment, let go of Rue. After a moment, Rue managed to stand firmly, so Ruecian stepped onto the field. (2900/2400) He raised his hand, sending a huge, powerful wave of black magic, more impressive than any he had displayed so far. It connected with Osiris, despite how far up he was. Osiris roared as he began to plummet from above. Ruecian sped forward and sliced through him as he fell, causing Osiris to shatter.

Rue: 600

Despair?

Despair cried out again as the wings on her back suddenly shattered, leaving her with the tail that still twisted on the floor and the jewel that gleamed in the darkness.

"Got him…" Rue managed to say before he fell onto his back.

"You too?" Max said from where he was.

"Yeah… I know what you mean now…" Rue replied. "I can't even find… the strength to move…"

Ruecian had come back over to him by then. He managed to lift Rue without much trouble and walked off the field with him.

"…As embarrassing as this is… thanks," Rue said to him.

"_Want me to take over?" _he heard someone say in his mind.

_No, but thanks for the kind offer,_ Rue thought sarcastically.

Demon Rue gave a mental shrug. "_Fine by me._ _Although I am still not sure why, I get the feeling I don't want to be meeting Satan face-to-face. Nor your new friend."_

Rue didn't even bother responding as Ruecian set him down nearby Max and sat next to him, supporting him so that he could see what was happening.

"So, it is my turn now," Will stated as he went to where Rue had been.

"Three strikes and you're out!" Neo said, spinning his staff once before getting into a ready position.

"_I cannot fail… not after waiting for so long…" _Despair hissed. "_You shall perish…"_

…

"He came through! I knew he would!" Draken said enthusiastically.

"About time he did something right," Claire stated. Nevertheless, she looked immensely relieved.

"And by using my card! Yay! It actually helped for once!" Miles said.

"…He seems hurt," Kisara said softly.

"Hey, that looks like what happened to Max… what's going on with them?" Sakura wondered.

"It might be after effects from the duel," Zack suggested.

"Either way, they're still alive, and she's lost another part of herself," Gen said. "Overall, it is going well for them."

"Will must be the final one," Darche said.

"Then it all depends on him…" Amy whispered.

…

Will: 8000

Despair?

"I begin by laying a monster in defense mode and a card face down," Will said.

"_I summon Igzarion Universe _(1800/1900) _and activate his effect while attacking your monster."_

As the Igzation Universe destroyed his monster, Will winced as a sudden burst of pain swept through him. "You've destroyed my Apprentice Magician… (400/800) I'll get another one from my deck…"

Will: 7400

Despair?

"_That is all," _Despair stated.

"Why did you do that?" Rue asked. "I used Confiscate! You knew she'd be able to do damage to you even if you played a monster in defense!"

"True… but I needed a monster on my field for this turn," Will said. "I sacrifice my Apprentice Magician for Magical Marionette! (2000/1000) I play Clarity of Mind for a magic counter and to get another one from my deck, and then I equip Marionette with Power of Magicians for a second magic counter. Marionette attacks Igzarion Universe, and then I end my turn."

"_You should have been more cautious," _Despair said. "_I activate Hammer Shoot to destroy Magical Marionette."_

"In response, I activate my trap card, Antagonizing Spell!" Will declared. "By removing my two magic counters, your magic card is negated and destroyed."

"_Then it is your turn," _Despair said, not seeming to mind what had happened.

"I'll have Neo use his Deck Master ability to give Marionette a counter," Will said. Neo obligingly sent a stream of fire at the Marionette, who glowed red briefly. "Then I use Clarity to get the last one I have from my deck. That's all."

"_I summon Roulette Bomber _(1000/2000) _and activate its effect," _Despair stated. Two dice appeared, hitting the floor and rolling a short distance before they stopped. "_Three and six._ _I use the six to destroy Magical Marionette. Then Roulette Bomber attacks directly."_

The Roulette Bomber shot Will with a blast from its cannon-like structure, causing him to stagger. Still, it was not nearly enough to weaken him severely.

Will: 6400

Despair?

"_I end at that," _Despair said.

"I'll summon Hannibal Necromancer (1400/1800) and attack Roulette Bomber," Will said. "Then I lay a card down and end my turn."

"_I lay a monster in defense mode. That is all," _Despair stated.

"I'll attack it with Necromancer," Will decided.

"_It is Sphere Bomb. _(1400/1400) _It attaches to your Necromancer."_

"That will be a problem…" Will muttered. "I end my turn by laying a monster in defense mode."

"_I summon Surprising Matasa _(1300/800) _and attack your face down monster,"_ Despair said.

Will flipped it over. "You've attacked my Royal Magic Library." (0/2000)

"_I lay one card down to finish," _Despair ended.

After Will drew, the Sphere Bomb attached to the Necromancer abruptly exploded, catching Will in it. It burned him slightly, but luckily for him, it was not as big of a blast as it could have been. His Necromancer had had weak attack, causing less damage to be done.

Will: 5000

Despair?

…

"Looks like Zack set Will up the bomb," Miles joked.

Draken smacked him over the head. "That was uncalled for."

"So was that…" Miles muttered, rubbing his head.

"In a way, Miles did touch on a point that I was thinking of," Zack admitted. "I feel guilty that some of the successes she is having are due to cards I have played."

"That isn't your fault," Larka said. "You had no way of knowing she would do this. None of us did."

"Larka is right," Kazel agreed. "Also, if any of you had not used the cards you had, we never would have gotten this far."

"I see your point," Zack said, looking a bit more at ease from that.

"Yeah, so quit worrying about it. Will's going to win either way," Claire stated.

…

"Could have been worse…" Will said. "I'll use Neo's Deck Master ability to give Library a counter." After the flames around the Library vanished, he said, "I'll use my final Clarity to give Library a second counter. Then I flip over Black Power Stone for three more and transfer one to Library. I get rid of all three to draw a card." Will looked at what he had drawn and nodded. "This will work well. I summon Blood Magician –Magician of Purgatory– (1400/1700) and attack Matasa with him. I am done."

"_I activate my trap card, Final Assault Order, to switch all face up monsters to attack mode," _Despair smirked. "_Then I summon Blade Knight." _(2000/1000)

Rue looked at the Blade Knight, then the Library, and then the Blade Knight again. "Not good. Not good at all."

"_Blade Knight attacks Royal Magic Library," _Despair said.

The Blade Knight cleaved through the Library. With so little resistance from the weak attack monster, the sword went right through it, cutting into Will.

Will: 3000

Despair?

"_I lay one card and end my turn," _Despair said.

The newest wound Will had been given weakened him far more, but he was still able to go on. "Neo will give Blood Magician a counter. Then I summon Magic Warrior Breaker." (1900/1000)

"_In response, I activate Ambush to special summon Demon Soldier." _(1900/1500)

"…I hadn't planned for that, but I have to keep going with this strategy," Will stated. "I move another counter to Blood Magician with Black Power Stone, and then activate Jar of Greed. I remove the three magic counters on Blood Magician to destroy Blade Knight. Then I remove Breaker's to destroy Final Assault so that I can switch Blood Magician to defense mode. That's all."

"_I lay a monster in defense mode. After Demon Soldier attacks Breaker, I end my turn."_

As the Demon Soldier struck down Breaker, Will felt weakened again, but it was not a big change.

Will: 2700

Despair?

"Neo will give Blood Magician a magic counter, then I'm done," Will said.

"_Demon Soldier attacks Blood Magician. My turn is over," _Despair stated.

Will looked at his hand and shrugged. "I place a monster down and end my turn."

"_I attack your newest defense monster," _Despair said.

"You've run into another Royal Magic Library," Will told her.

"_That is all."_

"Neo will give Library a counter. I lay a monster in defense mode and a card face down," Will decided. "Your turn."

"_I activate Book of Sun on your new defense monster," _Despair said.

"You've revealed my Magical Plant Mandoragna. (500/200) It will give my Library a magic counter," Will informed her.

"_Weak… but it will have to do. I equip it with Theft. Then I sacrifice it, along with my own face down Magical Plant Mandoragna _(500/200) _and my Demon Soldier, to summon Sun of God Dragon, Ra!"_ (2900/1900)

The golden sphere emerged on the field. This time, however, Despair did not need to chant to make it suddenly open. Ra appeared with a shriek, and then glared down at Will with his red eyes.

…

"The final one has emerged," Daine stated as Ra appeared.

"…Heh. Just as I thought," Sarius said with a small smirk.

"What do you mean?" Larka asked him.

"Ra has been weakened. After owning him and feeling his power for so long, I can tell that he is not as strong as usual," Sarius explained.

"Good. Will's going to need all the help he can get," Gen said.

…

"…This is not the same Ra as before," Will stated. "I can tell."

"_It is like the others…"_ Despair growled. "_Ra attacks Royal Magic Library."_

Ra shot out a powerful stream of fire, wiping out the Library easily. Although Will was standing a safe distance away, he could still feel the heat from the attack.

"_Take your turn," _Despair said.

"I set a monster and end," Will stated as his mind raced. He was trying to think of a plan.

Despair gave his card a cold look. "_Ra will attack your monster."_

"My last Apprentice Magician is destroyed…" Will told her as he watched his monster burn away.

"_Next turn, you die. I lay one card face down to finish."_

"We'll see if you can keep your word this time," Will said. "I lay one monster face down and end my turn."

Despair thought for a moment, and then said, "_I activate Cry of the Living Dead for Blade Knight." _(2000/1000)

"Why Blade Knight? She had Black Magician in her Cemetery!" Rue said.

"She knows that I have ways I can take advantage of that," Will stated.

"_Blade Knight attacks your defense monster," _Despair said.

"He destroys my Magical Armor Exe…" (2400/1400)

"_Ra attacks directly!" _Despair declared.

"I won't let that happen," Will said, flipping over his card. "I activate Magic Arm Shield to take Blade Knight!"

"_You were almost finished… I will have Ra attack anyway!" _Despair snarled.

The Blade Knight took the blunt of the blow, but Will was still burned badly by the excess flames that connected with him.

Will: 1800

Despair?

"_My turn is over," _Despair stated.

"I can't afford to drag this out…" Will said as he drew his card. "I'm depending on this one…" Then he looked at it. "I activate Early Burial to special summon my Blood Magician…" Will winced as energy was torn from him for the Early Burial.

Will: 1000

Despair?

"Then I will bring out Neo…" Will said.

"I'm up? Fine by me!" Neo stepped onto the field at once. (2400/2000)

"I now play a magic card… Magician's Cross!" Will declared. "If I have two or more Magic-Users in attack mode, I choose one of them, and their attack becomes 3000 until the end of my turn! I choose Neo! (3000/2000) He attacks Ra!"

"It's time to end this!" Neo shouted, pointing his staff at Ra. A huge fireball came out of it, hitting Ra. As Ra writhed in pain from the flames, Neo ran up to him. His staff glowed red as he slashed with it. The fiery tip sliced through Ra, causing him to shatter.

Will: 1000

Despair?

…

"All right! Ra's gone too!" Miles said enthusiastically as Ra shattered.

"But will it work?" Perseus wondered.

"It has to work… they've gone through too much for it not to…" Kisara whispered.

…

From a different location, a man was standing on the lake shore, staring into the water at the same image. None of the group members would have recognized him, except for one person: Hope.

The man's hands were grasped in prayer. "Oh Lord, please cast your purifying light upon this corrupt soul… for this role was not willingly chosen. Thy will be done… Amen."

Perhaps it was merely the sunlight, but as he finished speaking, it looked as though the golden cross he wore flashed brilliantly.

…

Despair cried out for a third time as the tail she had shattered, leaving her with only the blue jewel.

"_How can this be…?" _she said, sounding bewildered. "_How could I lose all of my power like this?"_

After Neo had destroyed Ra, he had immediately run back to where Will was. He was just in time to catch Will as he abruptly fell.

"I've been weakened… as well…" Will said as Neo helped him into a sitting position. "But why?"

"Somehow, I get the feeling she isn't interested in that," Neo said, looking over at Despair.

"_This is… impossible…" _Despair suddenly put her hands up to her forehead as the jewel there began to flash. "_What… is this? What is… happening to me?"_

"Hope…" Gaston whispered. Then he began to walk towards Despair.

"_Stay where you are!" _Satan ordered, bringing up his hand. Dark energy began to form in it, and he shot it at Gaston. Recognizing the attack, Gaston halted but did nothing to attempt to block it. It had taken his life before, and he knew that no matter what he did, it would do so again.

But the beam was suddenly hit with another blast of dark energy. Everyone but Despair turned to see Rue standing, his hand held out.

Then he opened his eyes, revealing their blood-red color. "I never thought I would be meeting with you in this manner."

"_You always were a traitor…" _Satan said, glaring at him.

"A traitor? How could I be a traitor when I never truly wanted to be on your side?" Demon Rue said innocently. "Either way, I suggest you keep out of this. They won the right to try to turn her back into their friend. The only thing you have done so far is conduct a little magic trick to bring out your servant."

"_You know full-well who she really is!" _Satan snarled.

"Yes, I do. That's what you get for underestimating mortals," Demon Rue smirked. "Next time, use all of your strength, not bits and pieces of yourself. You might win then."

"_How dare you…" _Satan hissed.

Demon Rue shot a glance at Gaston. "I suggest you hurry up; it's not like I can keep him occupied all day."

Gaston nodded, and then continued towards Despair. Although she still gripped her head, she managed to open her eyes, glaring at Gaston. "_Back off!"_

He did not respond as he walked closer.

"_Do you want to die?" _Despair asked.

"…Hope is still there," Gaston stated. "My purpose is to protect her. I will do anything I have to so that I can, even if it means dying."

"_You fool!" _Despair snarled. She lifted her hand, but winced and returned it to her forehead. "_Useless… host… argh… _G-Gaston…"

For a moment, as he heard her tone change, her eyes became blue. But then they were red again.

"…Hope?" Gaston said.

"_This cannot be… she is not real… she was an appearance… _Gaston… please… _Go away! Get out of the body that is rightfully mine! _Kill me… _Quiet! I will not tolerate this!"_

Gaston shook his head. "I can't do that, Hope… there has to be another way…" Then he looked up and saw the blue jewel on her forehead.

"_She will not last!"_ Despair growled, removing her hands from her head and holding them out. But that left her vulnerable. Without warning, Gaston brought up his sword and slashed, cutting the jewel cleanly in two.

A high-pitched scream cut through the area, and then Despair fell forward, dark energy streaming out of her body. Gaston barely managed to drop his sword in time to catch her.

As he kneeled, causing her to go into the same position, he saw that her hair was shortening and becoming dark brown again. Her clothes also were returning to normal, and her pale skin was back to the regular color it had been.

The dark energy that had come from her had been going to Satan, and he seemed to be absorbing it. As it finally cleared, they were able to see that his appearance had not changed, but that his dark aura seemed stronger.

Gaston watched her nervously until her eyes opened. Then, to his immense relief, he saw that they were blue once more. "Gaston…?"

"Hope! You've returned!" Gaston said, hardly able to believe what he was seeing.

Hope stared at him for a moment before suddenly throwing herself onto him and beginning to sob. "Oh, Gaston… I… I thought I was… gone… I thought I… really didn't exist… that I had been an illusion… all along…"

"That's not true," Gaston said comfortingly. "You're very real. We knew that. That's why… we kept fighting."

Max had managed to stand by then and made his way over them with Tenma following at a short distance. Will and Neo remained where they were, which was nearby Demon Rue and Ruecian.

"_I cannot believe this…" _Satan growled. "_I cannot…"_

"You've failed again. Seems like you've lost your touch," Demon Rue sneered.

"_Silence, traitor!_ _I will not allow this to stand!" _Satan declared, raising his hand. But as he did, a golden glow surrounded him. "_What?"_

"**No more, Lucifer. You cannot continue this."**

After those words were said, Satan vanished in a bright flash.

"…I never thought I would be grateful for something he did," Demon Rue commented. Then he closed his eyes. When he opened them again, they were brown once more.

"I am never going to get used to sharing a body with him," Rue muttered. Then he looked over at Max, who had just reached Hope and Gaston. "Should we…"

"Stay here for a moment," Will advised. "We can talk to her after he is done."

Rue nodded, and then looked down at himself, blinking. "Hey… I feel a bit stronger now. Not completely better, but at least I can walk now."

"Same here," Will said. "I do not understand why though."

While they talked, Max kneeled as well. "Hope?"

Hope finally let go of Gaston to turn to him. "Max!" Without thinking, she embraced him. Luckily, Max did not mind at all as he returned the gesture.

"I was so worried about you…" Max said softly.

"Thank you… for not giving up…" Hope said, blushing slightly.

There was a moment of silence, and then to Max's utter surprise, Hope suddenly kissed him. Despite his shock, he managed to return it after a moment, feeling happier than he had in a long time.

"I am not here, I am not here, I am not here…" Rue sang to himself as he turned around and gazed into the darkness. Will sighed at his reaction but also averted his eyes so that he was not staring.

…

"She's back…" Amy said, her voice filled with relief as she saw Hope throw herself onto Gaston.

"All's well that ends well!" Miles said triumphantly.

"Do not get over your head," Kazel stated. "Satan is still there."

"He is? Where?" Draken inquired, indicating to the lake.

"…He vanished…" Larka said in amazement.

"Hooray for divine intervention!" Miles joked.

"We could use some more of it now," Draken said dryly. "How are we going to get them back up here?"

After about five seconds of silence, Draken said, "Exactly."

"They will probably be brought up here as you were," Sarius stated. "I would not worry about it."

Claire shrugged. "If you say so."

Miles had turned back to the lake. His eyes widened and he suddenly turned and ran up the slope, yelling, "AHHHHHHHHH! I HAVE SEEN THINGS NO MAN SHOULD EVER HAVE TO WITNESS!"

Curious to his reaction, they turned to see what Hope and Max were doing. Amy laughed at the sight. "Of all the times to not have my camera!"

"Well… I'm glad things worked out for them," Brandi said with a small smile.

"Yeah, Max finally scored," Matt said with a grin.

"I feel awkward…" Larka admitted. "As though I'm spying on them."

"It's only bad if you get caught," Gen said.

"Or if you're so easily broken, like poor Miles," Draken added.

"I HEARD THAT!" they heard him call down.

"It would have been wasted if you hadn't," Draken replied.

"Very funny," Miles grumbled as he came back to where they were.

"Thanks, I try," Draken said as they looked back at the lake. Miles did not even attempt to respond to that one.

…

They finally broke apart, Hope still slightly pink in the face. "I-I'm sorry… I don't know what came over me…"

"No, it's fine. Thanks for doing that," Max said.

"Is it safe to look now?" Rue called over.

"Quite safe," Gaston replied with a small smile.

"Good thing Miles wasn't here to see that, or he would have gone crazy," Rue said as he walked over with Ruecian, Will, and Neo. "So how do you feel, Hope?"

"Fine now. I am… very grateful… for what you all did," Hope said. "Thank you so much…"

"Are thanks necessary? We are all friends. You would have done the same for us," Will pointed out.

"Maybe it can be left unsaid… but I still felt obliged to say it," Hope explained.

"Well, either way, you're welcome," Rue replied. Then he looked around the area again. "So, how are we supposed to get out of here?"

"I'm not sure," Gaston admitted.

As he said that, they suddenly began to glow gold.

"I think this answers my question!" Rue managed to say before they were gone.

…

"They vanished!" Sakura exclaimed.

"How did they do that?" Claire asked.

"Divine intervention at its finest," Miles said.

"But where did they go?" Larka wondered.

"…I have a bad feeling about this…" Kazel said.

Suddenly, all eight of them appeared above Kazel and crashed into her, sending her into the ground with a roar of pain.

"…Wow, that has to suck," Miles commented as everyone else winced.

"Every dragon has their day, and it certainly isn't Kazel's," Draken laughed.

"Where are we?" Rue asked as he sat up, glancing around in confusion. Then he saw Draken, which caused him to jump up, thankfully off of Kazel's wing. "I'M GOING TO STRANGLE YOU DRAKEN!"

"I told you he'd do it!" Draken said before running. Rue came after him in hot pursuit.

"…I am not going to ask," Max stated. Ruecian just shook his head.

"WOULD YOU MIND?" Kazel snarled from her flattened position.

"Sorry," Hope apologized as she got off. The others did as well, leaving Kazel to rise once more, looking highly annoyed.

"What did Draken mean by that?" Will inquired.

"We were watching the whole thing through the lake," Zack explained. "Draken commented on what he thought Rue would do to him once that woman brought out two Blue Eyes White Dragons."

"You saw all of it?" Neo said in awe.

"Yep. It was quite the show," Sarius replied.

By this time, Amy had run over to Hope and embraced her. "I'm so glad that you're ok!"

"Believe me, I am too!" Hope said with a laugh.

"You did pretty well in there," Matt said to Max. "Finally managed to get with a girl, too."

"Hey!" Max protested, but he did not try to deny it.

Once Rue and Draken had finally stopped running around and gone back to the group, Rue, Max, and Will took the time to heal themselves. After that, Larka said, "But what happened to Satan?"

"I'm not sure… we heard a voice, and then he vanished," Rue explained.

"I've heard it before…" Hope said.

"Yes, it was familiar now that I think about it," Max agreed.

"**There is a good reason for that."**

They all turned to see a man in a brown robe with his hood up come over to them, with a wooden staff in his right hand.

"You… you're…" Hope stammered.

"The one we met after Satan was defeated last time," Will said.

"Do you know him?" Zack asked.

"To an extent… we don't actually know his name," Claire admitted.

"Although I think we could all assume…" Will stated.

"**I assume there are answers all of you desire," **the man said simply.

"You could say that," Max concurred.

"**Then let us all be present for them." **The man went over to Rue, who watched him warily but stayed where he was. He trusted the man for some reason that he could not pin down yet.

The man placed his hand over Rue's chest, and then made an abrupt motion to the side. Almost instantly, Demon Rue appeared, looking like a ghost of sorts.

"Oh God!" Miles exclaimed, stepping back.

"**Yes?" **the man said, tilting his head in Miles' direction.

"…Wait, what?" Miles said in bewilderment.

"So… he really is…" Brandi trailed off as she watched.

"It seems like you still kept your sense of humor, all mighty Lord," Demon Rue said dryly.

"**We meet once again," **God said to him. "**And once again, you rebelled against your former master."**

"Living in a human body has caused me to lose most of my memories," Demon Rue told him. "You must know my name. I wish to know what it is. That would probably help me recall almost everything."

"**Very well then.** **You are Mephistopolis," **God said.

"Ah… yes. That would be it," Mephistopolis said with a smirk. "About time I remembered. Already I can feel my memories begin to return. You have what little thanks I feel up to giving."

"**That is more than what many would receive." **God turned his gaze to Hope. "**You wish to ask something, Hope?"**

Hope started. "Um, yes, actually… who was that woman, Despair, and how did she get inside of me? Also, how were the god cards involved?"

God sighed. "**Lucifer is always against me. On his most recent attack, he had taken part of himself and split it into three more parts that took on the appearance of creatures. He named them Immense Divine Soldier of Obelisk, Saint Dragon-God of Osiris, and Sun of God Dragon, Ra. Although they were strong, they were still only parts of Lucifer. I was able to defeat them. However, such strong creatures would not be destroyed that easily. The thing that would weaken them most was time. So I sealed them into three different cards and scattered them. They had far too much power to be completely locked into cards though. I had much access power, so I was forced to store it elsewhere. I took the remaining energy from each god and sealed it into an infant that had a soul that could balance such power."**

"That was… me?" Hope said in amazement.

"**Yes. Unfortunately, even that provided to be too much of an upset of balance for you to handle," **God continued. "**To counter the amount of dark energy you had been given, your soul produced more light energy. I had to remove some of the excess light energy and place it within another human. This person was to hold onto your light energy until you truly needed it. She gave it to you when necessary."**

"Gave me it?" Hope looked over at Kisara. "Do you mean…?"

"I was the one chosen for this? Is that why I felt as though I had met her before?" Kisara assumed.

"**That is correct. I was also aware that there would need to be people who could destroy this part of Lucifer when it finally emerged," **God said. "**I took a small fragment of each god card and placed it within three individuals who were stronger than average in certain areas. One had a developed body, one had a developed soul, and one had a developed mind. In accordance to that, they were given a part of Obelisk, Osiris, and Ra respectively."**

"Max, Rue, and Will," Zack concluded.

"**Yes. Due to a genetic trait Max had known as Genkai Kyuukei, he was fitting for the body representation. Rue had Mephistopolis inside of him, therefore making his soul unique. Will was unusually intelligent, thus earning the mind part."**

"What is Genkai Kyuukei?" Max asked.

"**As I said, it is a genetic trait. It is passed from the carrier to their child, but when that occurs, the host does not have it anymore. When the carrier has an extreme emotion, the carrier loses the ability to feel pain and is capable of pushing their body far beyond normal limits," **God explained. "**This can lead the carrier to death if they are not careful."**

"So that's how Thanatos was able to use my body like that…" Max muttered, and then fell silent.

"How did Mephistopolis get inside me?" Rue inquired.

"Technically, I am classified as a fallen angel; I became a demon after that," Mephistopolis said. "I used to work for Satan as his personal servant. But I never cared for him; I only wanted a chance to rise in power. Sensing my thoughts, he nearly killed me. I had to escape into a newborn, with a barely developed soul, to even survive. It was not easy though; my soul had to correspond with yours. I was lucky to find you as quickly as I did."

"…I see... Sorry for the interruption," Rue directed to God. "Please continue…"

Not seeming to mind the wait, God said, "**As Hope continued to grow, she showed no signs of carrying part of Lucifer within her. If she had gone into church or a holy area, it would have been apparent, but she never did."**

"I met a pastor a long time ago who told my mother to not take me to church," Hope said. "Do you know who he is?"

"**I will not be the one to reveal that," **God said gently. "**It is something that you will discover the answer to later. I did know that the fragments of the gods would bring the four people together, and that eventually Hope would meet Kisara as well. They would naturally attract to one another. The first four did, and on an interesting occasion. Lucifer was attempting to be revived by sacrificing one thousand souls. Even when Hope confronted him, he was not aware of who she really was until she defeated him." **God looked over at Max. "**When you died, Lucifer took extra precautions. He stored the servant he had hired to take Mephistopolis' place, a demon known as Thanatos."**

"So that's where he came from," Max said, looking sickened.

"**You do not need to worry about him being inside of you. He is gone," **God assured. "**After Lucifer had been defeated, he decided to wait this time for the god cards to be collected, knowing that part of him was within the four he had seen. The god cards called to you, and you could not help but find them. That was also his downfall though. Since you had fragments of the gods within you, it was possible to completely destroy the god cards and the parts you held at once by having them collide."**

"I think I understand now," Will said. "By having our Soul Monsters, which are parts of ourselves, they connected with the god cards. This destroyed both the physical beings we saw and the fragments we held, hence why we were weakened."

"**That is right," **God confirmed. "**However, the part that Lucifer referred to as Despair was much stronger. Once part of her own soul attacked the other part, it caused that part to lose its grip on her. The energy finally returned to Lucifer."**

"That means we're back to normal, right?" Rue asked.

"**Mostly.** **Mephistopolis will still have to stay inside of you though," **God informed him.

"Ah well. At least we lost the worst parts," Rue said with a shrug.

"Do we come into this somehow?" Miles inquired.

"**The only meetings fate outlined were the four with Lucifer's parts and the one with Hope's light energy. You all met on your own free will," **God said. "**Yet, had it not happened, this ending would not have been reached."**

"So maybe fate did give us a role," Draken said, rubbing his head. "This is pretty complex stuff…"

"I would prefer to call it deep," Claire stated.

"What was this orb exactly supposed to do?" Hope asked, fingering it as she spoke.

"**It was to show how close Lucifer's part was to emerging," **God explained. "**Now it will merely show that your soul is balanced. Its most significant purpose has ended. Continue to wear it if you wish."**

Hope nodded, but did not respond otherwise.

"I hope you do not mind me asking this…" Brandi said nervously. "But what about our father? He isn't alive, but he isn't quite dead either…"

"**That was an unusual case that does not happen very often," **God stated. "**Since he has been brought back into a state between life and death, I technically have no right to kill him. What I can do is restore him to life and make it look as though he was never dead, similar as to how I returned many of the victims Lucifer claimed for filling the quota of one thousand souls."**

"Thank you…" Brandi said gratefully. Max nodded in agreement.

"Are you really God?" Miles said abruptly.

"**That depends on your perspective," **God replied. "**In the terms I believe you to be thinking of… probably not. The Lucifer you saw was part of his will. What you see now is part of the Lord's will. For your world, I could be considered your God, perhaps, as this Lucifer could be called your Satan. There is much more than this world though, as some would know." **At this, he pointedly glanced at Sarius and Aya.

"Indeed," Sarius said with a slight smile.

Seeming satisfied with Sarius' reaction, God said, "**I believe that covers almost everything you wished to know that I can answer. What happens from this point on will unfold from your choices. You will always be watched over though. Do not forget that."**

"Never…" Hope assured.

"I doubt we could if we wanted to!" Rue said.

All of them could sense his smile, even though they were unable to see his face. "**Then I bid you farewell."** With that, a bright light surrounded him, and he vanished.

"…Well, that's that," Gen said, breaking the silence. "Now what do we do?"

"Throw a party?" Miles suggested.

"I was hoping for a more reasonable suggestion," Gen sighed.

"What's so unreasonable about it? We deserve it after all that!" Miles pointed out.

Larka looked back at the lake, which was now back to normal. "I feel as though we are forgetting something important…"

"Like what?" Zack asked.

Larka shook her head. "I'm not sure…"

"It can't be that important if you forgot it," Miles shrugged.

"At least nothing worse than what we've had to go through can occur, right?" Rue said.

"Don't jinx us," Draken told him.

Tenma had been silent, but he suddenly sniffed the air and began to growl.

"I believe we have company," Kazel said, her tail swishing through the air. Her injured back and pride had had enough time to recover.

They all looked in the direction Tenma and Kazel were gazing, and saw a group of about ten officials coming down the slope towards them.

"I told you not to jinx us," Draken said.

"Shut up," Rue muttered.

"What do they want?" Max said as he tensed.

As they got closer, Hope was surprised to recognize one of the two at the head of the group. "That man… isn't that Helmer?"

"Oh yeah, the one official that was actually reasonable!" Miles joked. "We might be able to talk things out then."

The group came up to them, halting a respectable distance away. The other person who had been at the head of the group then stepped forward. She was the only woman among the officials, and still seemed pretty young. She wore an official uniform that was similar to the ones the males wore, except that it had a long blue skirt that went to her ankles that matched her long-sleeved shirt. Her dark brown hair went down to her shoulders in two braids that were neatly tied off with small blue bands. Her stern brown eyes gazed at them in turn.

"Greetings to all of you," she said in a clear voice with a tone that showed she was used to public speaking. "I am Captain Lapis Roman, the newly-appointed head of the officials. I am pleased to finally meet your group."

"Is there something you want from us?" Will asked.

"I am afraid that I am to be the bearer of bad news," Lapis said, looking slightly awkward. "For a long time, the officials have been debating about what we should do with your group. You have committed many crimes within Teknisk Wereld, and for that, justice must be dealt."

"Hey! Not all of that was our fault!" Miles protested.

"He's right. Some of the crimes we have been accused for are absolutely ridiculous," Draken stated. "Such as Hope being a General of Hell."

"Please, hold your comments until I am done," Lapis requested. After she was sure she would not be interrupted again, she continued. "I am aware that some of them were false, including the one where Hope Gales was accused of being a General of Hell. However, others were not. You have attacked officials and murdered many people."

"Ones that attacked us first!" Rue argued, unable to stay silent.

"Some were indeed done in self defense, but they are still deaths," Lapis said. "Quite a record has been made for all of your deeds. It has caused much controversy, but at long last, the sentence has been decided upon."

"Sentence?" Larka asked.

Lapis seemed to hesitate, but then said in an authorized tone, as though she had memorized the paper that had been given to her with the words written on it, "It has been decided that the following people will be under this sentence: Hope Gales, Rue Klaus, Max Driger, Will Brown, Brandi Driger, Miles Salum, Draken Drayfall, Fell Luna, Larka Luna, and Zackary Wright. For the numerous crimes you have all committed, each of you is to be banned from Teknisk Wereld and from contact with fellow criminals until reaching the age of twenty."

"WHAT?" Miles exclaimed.

"Are you serious?" Draken said in astonishment.

"Wait… I don't understand… what…" Larka trailed off as Lapis began to speak again.

"Allow me to explain what will happen to each of you. You will all have a tracker placed onto your respective Duel Disks, which will leave a small red mark on your Life Point counter. It will be programmed to vanish once the owner has become twenty, up to the specific time of when he or she was born. Until then, you are banned from Teknisk Wereld. We will have ways of watching; even if you attempt to use a different Duel Disk to enter, we will know, and you will be banned for the rest of your life. There are no second chances with this."

"What does… the second part mean?" Hope asked nervously.

"The second part means that you may not speak with one another in real life until reaching twenty," Lapis stated. "To be more specific, you may not contact each other in any other way, such as e-mail, letters, or through other people. Again, we will be keeping track of this. Do not attempt to break these rules, or the consequences will be harsh."

"But that's completely unfair!" Rue protested. "Like we said before, most of those things were not our fault! That doesn't warrant being banned for such a long time!"

"Rue has actually said something I thought was off balance," Will said. "Some of us will be able to return to Teknisk Wereld very shortly. I can return in less than two years. Yet others will have to wait longer. Hope is in the worst position; she would have to wait nearly seven years."

"As true as your words are, this decision stands," Lapis said firmly. "We cannot change it."

"Are you even listening to us?" Miles said. "Why are you so set on this happening?"

Lapis just shook her head. Before anyone else could speak though, Helmer stepped forward. "Please, do not blame Captain Roman for what is happening. She actually tried her hardest to defend all of you. If she had not, all of you would have been banned from Teknisk Wereld and from contact for the rest of your lives. This is much more preferable."

"Helmer! They did not need to know that!" Lapis protested.

"You do not deserve to be the target of their hate after what you have done for them, Captain, no matter what you think," Helmer stated. Then he turned back to the group. "She managed to finally convince the one who was so set on banning you to only do it for a short amount of time."

"Who… who decided this?" Larka asked.

"Sarov Yggdrasill, the creator of Teknisk Wereld," Lapis answered.

"What? The creator of Teknisk Wereld decided this?" Draken said in disbelief.

"Yes. I was lucky to be able to change his mind this much," Lapis stated. After a moment of hesitation, she said, "I am sorry that you all must go through with this, but the word is final. It will be much worse if any of you resist. Please, go along with it."

"Damn it all!" Rue suddenly exclaimed. "After all we've gone through, THIS is what happens?"

Lapis just shook her head, not knowing how to respond.

Max had been silently listening the whole time, but now he abruptly turned and ran up the slope.

"Max!" Hope called before going after him.

"Should we stop them?" Helmer asked Lapis quietly.

"Let them go. This will be emotional for all of them," Lapis replied. "They will return when necessary." Then she raised her voice to speak to the group. "If there are any questions, let them be asked now."

"What about… Max and I?" Brandi said, her voice quavering. "We're siblings…"

"That is an exception," Lapis answered. "Siblings are allowed to remain together. That means that Max Driger and Brandi Driger are allowed to be with one another, as are Fell Luna and Larka Luna."

"Is that really… our last name?" Larka said, paled.

"Ah… you would not know," Lapis realized. "Yes, it is. We have done research and managed to find records on both of you. Your birth certificates were found as well. Both of you were born December 1, 2073 on midnight, as strange as that is."

"So… almost three years…" Larka trailed off, closing her eyes.

"…Midnight?" Fell said.

"Yes," Lapis confirmed. "Apparently, these odd conditions were why that scientist pursued both of you. On our research, we came across information from him as well. We assume that he managed to track you down, killing your parents in the process.

Fell nodded, but remained silent.

"…What about me? I have already passed the age of twenty," Zack said.

Lapis nodded. "That is true. Therefore, you will be banned, but instantly released from it. As slanted as this is, it was agreed to upon discussion."

"Why were we not included in this?" Amy asked.

"None of you did as much as the ones named. You were able to be overlooked, although it took effort on the Captain's part," Helmer said.

"You're giving me too much credit," Lapis told him. "I did it on orders."

"And you worked so hard at it from your own free will," Helmer stated.

Lapis turned slightly red at that, but then said to the group, "If that is all, you will be given five minutes to say proper farewells. We will move a short distance away for that, and return once time is up." With that, she and Helmer went back to the eight other officials.

…

By the time Hope managed to get up the slope, Max had already entered the nearby trees. She paused for a moment to catch her breath and then continued on, shouting, "Max!"

There was no response, but as Hope went into the forest, she heard something. To her shock, she recognized it to be sobbing.

"Max?" Hope said, going in the direction of the noise. A few seconds later, she found him sitting on the ground underneath a tree.

The only time Hope had ever seen Max cry was when Randall had supposedly died again, and she had moved away then. This was really the first time she had witnessed him like this, where all of his emotions were coming from him in tears.

After a moment of hesitation, Hope kneeled in front of him. "Max…"

"All of it was for nothing!" Max said, looking up at her. "We suffered through all of that for nothing! It was… a waste…"

"Don't say that!" Hope protested.

"But… now we have to… Hope, after all that's happened, I can't live without you, I can't!" Max said.

"It… isn't that bad," Hope said, trying to smile. "Only seven years… we can wait that long…"

"How can you say that?" Max asked. "How can you say that when you really don't mean it? I can tell from your eyes… this is killing you too…"

"…I have to stay strong, Max," Hope said softly as she trembled. "You're torn apart, so I have to… for your sake, and mine…" Then she suddenly embraced him as she began to cry as well.

"Hope…" Max said.

"I'm sorry… but I never was good at… hiding my emotions…" Hope sobbed.

"That's what makes you… who you are…" Max whispered. "I will wait… forever, if I have to… until we finally find each other again…"

"I'll search for you here the moment I can return," Hope said. "And keep searching, until…" She trailed off as they released each other.

"…I was never good at saying farewells," Max said. "Please tell that woman to come here… I don't want to see everyone else…"

"All right…" Hope hesitated, looking into his glistening eyes. Then, moving as if they knew what the other was thinking, they kissed each other, one that lasted far longer than the first one where others had been able to witness it.

They finally broke apart, tears still coming. Hope got up, smiling weakly. "Goodbye, Max… thank you for everything…" Then she ran away, out of the trees and towards the slope.

Max slowly put his hand over his heart, feeling as if the distance between them was forming an unspeakable pain. "…Hope…"

…

Lapis had just gotten to the group of officials when she saw Hope coming down the slope. She could see that Hope's eyes were red, but she did not comment as Hope came over to her.

"Is there something you wish to ask?" Lapis inquired.

"Max… he wants to leave now," Hope said. "Could you do what you need to up there? He is in the forest."

"That is fine." Lapis got up, as did Helmer. "Go and speak with your friends now."

Hope nodded and went over to them, where she overheard Miles saying, "Well, look on the bright side you two. If we aren't in the same area, we won't kill each other!"

"More like kill you," Draken said.

"Yeah, we won't have the chance to put you in the hospital," Rue stated.

"How can you guys be so light-hearted about this?" Claire said, looking downcast.

"Think about it. We have three ways we can react to this," Miles told her. "The first one is to be like RARGH I AM ANGRY I SMASH OFFICIALS, which would only lead to worse consequences. The second is to act depressed, which would make everyone be sad and such. The third is to make corny jokes that cause everyone to spend their last few moments together laughing. Which of those choices seems the most valuable to you? I pick number three. If you want number two, that's your call."

Hope couldn't help but laugh as she entered. "You have a point."

"Of course I do!" Miles said. "Besides, we'll be seeing each other again. It's not like this is the end."

"Definitely," Draken agreed. His eyes darkened as he added, "Although some separations will be… far more harsh…" He glanced over at Kisara, who was speaking with Amy about something. "I'm one of the lucky ones; since Kisara isn't under these bans, I can stay with her. But…" He trailed off, looking at Hope guiltily.

"It's all right. I settled things," Hope assured. She looked up at Tenma. "You should go back to Max."

Tenma growled in response, and then dashed up the hill.

"Yeah… sorry about that…" Draken checked to make sure the others were a safe distance away before he added, "Zack and Larka too. It's going to be hard on them."

"…I read a saying once," Rue said, looking unusually thoughtful. "It went something along the lines of, 'Bonds are like a candle flame; the truly strong ones are strengthened by wind, while weak ones are extinguished.' That was making a metaphor to distance. We have strong bonds, and they'll be made even more firm by being separated."

"For once, I can agree with Rue," Will said as he came over.

"For once?" Rue said.

Fell had gone over to Sarius, who was standing out of the way with Aya. Seeing him arrive, Sarius said, "What is it?"

"Larka will have nowhere to stay now," Fell stated. "We are not forced to be separated from each other though, since we are siblings…"

"Ah, I see. You wish for her to come with us until she is twenty, so that we can return her here?" Sarius inferred.

"Yes."

Sarius considered the idea, and then nodded. "I was going to stay until I got the second Limiter, but that idea seems out of the question now. It would be better to keep a low profile. All right. Once Larka is twenty, we can return here. I will drop her off and try to find the Limiter at the same time. We will have to leave this world at once though. I assume this is acceptable?"

"Yes. Thank you," Fell said before sitting down.

"You do not wish to talk with anyone?" Sarius inquired.

"…I will tell Larka of what we will do once she is done," Fell said. "She will need time with them."

"I see."

Brandi went to Larka, misery written on her face. "Larka…"

"I know… it's going to be hard," Larka said unhappily.

For a moment, Brandi was silent, trying to figure out what she wanted to say. Then she said, "I have never had a friend like you, Larka… I… I don't want to be separated like this…"

"Brandi… you'll still have your family, and Matt," Larka reminded her. "And from what I could understand, your father is apparently back. That's going to help, isn't it?"

"…Yes… but still… I've already lost someone… I don't want to lose another friend!" Brandi exclaimed, tears coming from her eyes.

"I understand, I really do…" Larka said, putting her hand on her shoulder. "This will not be permanent though. We'll see each other again soon. Our returning dates are not that far apart, remember?"

"…That's true…" Brandi agreed. "But…"

"We'll still be friends when we meet again, right?" Larka asked.

"…Yes," Brandi said. "I'm sorry… I'm being selfish. You have it… much worse than me…"

Larka smiled at her. "I'll live… somehow."

"I've taken up enough of your… time…" Brandi said awkwardly. "So… I just wanted to… thank you."

"I wish to as well," Larka replied, lowering her hand. "When I return, I'll search for you."

"Then… goodbye, Larka…" Brandi said, walking back towards Matt.

Larka watched her go for a moment, and then went to Zack, who had been looking into the lake. He turned as she approached. "You are done speaking with her?"

"Yes…" Larka looked up at him. "Zack… I…"

"…I have been alone for a long time," Zack said. "Three more years… will be tolerable. I am more concerned for you…"

"…I-I'll be all right…" Larka managed to say before her eyes began to glisten. "I'm just worried about where I will live…"

"I think Fell has something in mind for that," Zack stated as he glanced at Fell. Larka looked too to see him talking with Sarius.

"Hopefully…" Larka trailed off.

"There is no need to hide your emotions, Larka," Zack said. "I will admit it… although I have had experience in things like this… I am still going to miss you fiercely…"

"Zack…" Larka suddenly embraced him tightly, wishing that they had more time yet trying to be content with what they had been given. Zack returned it, also wanting the moment to be able to last. Yet they broke apart after some time. By now, Larka was openly crying while Zack could feel tears in his eyes.

"I will wait for you, Larka… wait for you to return…" Zack said softly.

"…Zack… I wanted to be able to show you…" Larka looked up at the clouds. "The sunset up there… it's beautiful…"

"…On the day you are to return, I will be there," Zack said. "I will be up there, waiting for you… I promise that…"

"Thank you… I will… find you there…" Larka whispered. Both knew no words to convey their words beyond that point, so they instead kissed each other for a final time.

When they broke apart, Larka noticed that a tear had escaped Zack's eye, but she did not mention it. "Goodbye, Zack…"

"Until we find each other again… my love," Zack said softly.

Sensing that their masters had wanted some time alone, all of the Soul Monsters had grouped together to say proper farewells amongst themselves, or at least show them in Malon's case as he jumped at all of them. Everyone was just about finishing up their conversations when Lapis and Helmer came down the slope. Lapis had a black device in her hand that was about the size of a remote control.

"I am afraid your time is up," Lapis said. "Now I must mark your Duel Disks. Who is to be first?"

"Wait, what about Max?" Rue asked. "Isn't he coming?"

"I have already taken care of him," Lapis answered. "He has left."

"That bastard!" Rue growled. He turned to Brandi and Matt and said to them, "You had better tell him that we all said goodbye to him."

"Fine. It will be easier out of person," Matt said.

There was a moment of awkward silence, and then Fell stepped forward, his arm with the Duel Disk still attached held out.

"All right, you will be first." Lapis gently gripped onto the Duel Disk and placed the black device over the Life Point counter. There was a small beep, and then she removed it. In front of where the 8000 would appear, there was a small, red light.

"…Larka, you had best go next," Fell said.

"Ok…" Larka went forward, and Lapis did the same thing to her Duel Disk. "Where do we go now?"

"With me," Sarius answered.

"You're going to take me temporarily?" Larka questioned. Then she looked away. "Fell… you're going to stay with him, aren't you?"

"…Yes," Fell said.

"Wait, huh? What's going on?" Miles asked.

"…I assume Fell was offered a position with Sarius," Will stated. "A permanent one. Apparently, he accepted. Is that right?"

Fell nodded. "…Larka will be returned when she can. As for me… I shall stay with him. It is possible we will never meet again, although I do not believe that to be so."

"Brother…" Larka hesitated, and then said, "I understand…"

"We have three more years," Fell said. "That is… more time than I thought we would have…"

"You did not want to ask me to stay permanently?" Larka asked.

"…I already know what your true answer would be," Fell stated. "I will be content with my new position, sister. You will be happy with yours when you return."

"…Thank you, brother," Larka said, smiling at him sadly.

"Talk about a change," Draken commented. "When I first met you, I thought you were one of the most despicable people I had ever laid my eyes on. Now I can't help but admire what you've become."

Fell glanced at him, a glance that carried what Draken thought to be a hint of respect, but did not say anything. Then he turned to Zack and said, "I will be depending on you."

"Of course," Zack assured.

"…Then we must depart," Sarius said. "I am sure we will meet again, so until then…"

"It was a pleasure meeting all of you," Aya told the group before she began to walk away.

"…Farewell," Fell said shortly before going with Daine to stand next to Sarius, who was waiting for Larka.

Larka smiled at the rest of them. "I will look forward to the day we see each other again… goodbye, my friends…" Then she picked up Malon and went after Sarius, Fell, and Daine, who went up the slope and towards the forest to leave Teknisk Wereld.

"Why are they not teleporting out from this location?" Helmer questioned.

"They have a special location to do it in," Claire lied. They could figure why Sarius wanted an empty area; if he was to take them directly to another world, it would probably look different.

As Will watched them walk away, he muttered, "Many of my visions were explained today…" He did not say it to the others though, for fear of the officials overhearing him.

Once they were gone, Zack came up to Lapis. "I will depart next."

"Very well." Lapis used her device on his Duel Disk swiftly.

"The reason for this is that I am currently in Will's house," Zack explained to them. "I must leave before he does."

"Where will you live?" Hope asked.

"I have savings," Zack said. "I can use them to rent an area; it should not be too difficult."

"When you return to the real world, the light will vanish. Please wait at least thirty minutes before entering again though," Lapis requested.

"All right." Zack then directed his attention to the group. "I have had no reason to live for many years. Thanks to all of you and your friendship, I feel like I have finally come across the reason I desired. I have much gratitude for that… thank you all."

"Nice to hear we did something right after all this criminal business," Miles joked.

"I have a rough understanding of when each of you will come back," Zack said. "Around those times, I will try to make contact with you. The sooner we meet up the better for establishing certain contacts."

"I agree," Will said. "I will keep a look out for you upon returning."

"Then… if that is all … farewell," Zack said before bringing up the menu on his Duel Disk. He vanished a moment later.

Before Lapis could ask, Brandi went up to her.

"So, you're ready to leave?" Matt assumed as the device was used.

"Yes," Brandi answered. "I do not have much to say…"

"Brandi… I hope your dad can help you…" Hope said, trailing off.

"Thanks…" Brandi nodded to them. "Goodbye." She then left.

"I'd better go too," Matt said. "Don't worry too much about her; time will help."

Claire looked at where Brandi had been. "I hope so."

"Well… see all of you later." Matt gave a quick wave before teleporting out.

"I guess I'll go now," Miles said, holding out his Duel Disk.

"How are you going to make a living?" Draken asked.

"Ah, don't worry about me. I have my ways," Miles said with a wink. "Anyway, I'm no good at long and emotional speeches so I'll cut it short. It's been great, you're all cool, can't wait to see everyone again, and I like cheese. See ya guys!" Before any of them could respond, he was gone.

"…I thought he said he hated cheese," Rue said into the silence.

"He does," Gen said dryly. "In his emotionally-distraught state, he forgot what he likes and doesn't like."

"Emotionally-distraught?" Draken asked doubtfully.

"When I find him, he'll probably be crying into a pillow," Gen stated. "He keeps a cheerful appearance for all of you, but this is really tearing him apart. I can tell."

"Be sure to comfort him then," Rue said.

"Of course." Gen vanished.

"My turn then," Draken said, strolling over to Lapis.

"Can't take my company any longer?" Rue joked.

"That'd be it," Draken laughed. "Actually, I wanted to look more gallant by going before you."

"Really nice," Rue muttered. Then he said, "When you return to Teknisk Wereld, you had better contact me immediately, or I'll carry out my threat to strangle you."

"What if I come back first?" Draken asked.

"Then you'd better try to find me. Got it?" Rue said.

"If you insist," Draken said with a grin. Then he said to the others, "I'll be looking forward to seeing you guys again later."

"Me too," Hope replied.

"I did not get to know any of you as well as Draken did, but I still enjoyed my time with all of you," Kisara said softly.

"It was remarkable, all we were able to do," Kazel stated. "Especially how we related to you, Hope and Gaston. Let our flight paths cross once more."

"I'll hope for that," Claire said.

Draken, Darche, Kisara, and Kazel disappeared at the same time. Once that had happened, Rue held out his Duel Disk. "Might as well go myself."

"I advise using these years to find a way to avoid Will's book attacks in the future," Neo said. He then nervously backed away from Will's glare.

"That's some of the best advice you've given yet," Rue commented. Then he said to Hope, "It's hard to believe we've come this far, you know? When we met in the forest for the first time, I had no idea what I was getting myself into."

"Do you regret it?" Hope asked.

"Not a bit," Rue replied with a smile. "Talk to all of you later." He vanished at that. Ruecian gave a brief nod before following.

"I'll hope to see all of you myself," Claire said, and then she went after him, along with Perseus.

"…I assume Zack will have left by now," Will stated. "We had best go then."

"I fear for your kitchen's safety," Gaston joked. "Be sure to keep your sanity for these two years."

"I'm grateful it's only that long," Will said with a sigh. After a moment, he said, "See you later, Hope."

"Same to you," Hope said as he left with Neo.

"I'm going to teleport out now too," Amy said. "Be sure to contact me over e-mail."

"Right," Hope assured.

Amy and Sakura left, leaving Hope to go up to Lapis.

"…You're going to have the roughest time with all of this," Lapis said as she used the device.

Hope nodded silently.

"Stay strong, Hope Gales. You have friends amongst us, even if you thought the officials were your enemies," Lapis said.

"…Thank you." Hope brought up her menu. "Gaston… let's go."

"All right," Gaston agreed.

They disappeared in unison. Lapis looked at where they had been for a moment, and then brought out a cell phone and used the speed-dial command.

"So it is done?"

"Yes."

"Thanks for doing all of this, Miss Lapis. I greatly appreciate it."

"It was no trouble. How do things look?"

"I cannot tell yet…"

"Then we will see. Do not worry; we'll be there shortly." Lapis hung up and turned to Helmer. "Shall we head there?"

"At once," Helmer replied. "If what you suspect is true…"

"Then that group might get caught up in something else this time," Lapis said grimly. "But they might be the only ones who can prevent it."

Helmer gave a brief nod to that. "Then let us go."

The officials walked up the slope, not looking back. If they had, however, they might have noticed a white-clad figure standing at the lake shore a distance away.

"…Seven years before the next is to come," the pastor sighed. He ran a hand over his cross. "I pray that I will be ready for it…" Then he stepped away from the lake, walking towards the forest.

…

_Daily examination of Teknisk Wereld: Beginning at once._

_Checking main structure… 100 percent checked. No threats to the structure eminent._

_Checking each area… 100 percent checked. All areas defined to be in normal condition._

_Condition: Standby… affirmative. Will remain sealed._

_Examination complete. Beginning to shut down._

…_Shutting down…_

…

"…It is time to begin. We will never have a better chance. I cannot afford to have doubts. It is my responsibility, and therefore, I will be the one to do this, an act no other would even dream of…"

There were only seven years to plan. That would be enough.

_**THE END**_


	13. Author's Notes and Credits

**Author's Note and Credits**

All right! Teknisk Wereld: Trials of Heart is finally complete! But like before, I could not have finished this without much help! And here is where I award credit to where it is due!

Katal Blader: For Rue, Ruecian, Claire, Perseus, and their decks.

CyberTigerAngel: For Will, Neo, and Will's deck. And for his Redwall knowledge.

HikotageNoInyou: Oh boy… here we go. He has done Sarius, Raid, the Child, Cyrus, Juno, and Zork. In addition, he is responsible for Aya, Adene, Mach, Shadow, Lario, and all of the Mavericks, along with their Soul Monsters. I give him full credit for their amazing pasts. Much of the basic plot for this arc was made by his ideas. He also proof-read all of this. Thanks for pointing out my mistakes!

DarkChiWizard22: Geez, he's done a lot. Max, Olympion, Brandi, Mana, Randall, GaBa, Matt, Masque, Abby, Chasity, Ender, Thanatos, Vlad, Grendel, their decks (except Vlad's, since he didn't really have much of one), their past, and some other ideas for this story that are too numerous to mention are all done by him. He is responsible for the Maverick decks; I did Sarius' lot, for the curious. He also pointed out several errors in duels (along with a few in grammar), and helped me understand card effects I didn't get. Oh, and now that I think about it, he's the one who made me write this. He said he didn't think I could write serious fics. Look who proved you wrong! -Is shot-

Amy: Amy is my half-sister who lives in Florida. She really does have the same dad as me. Sam and Toby do indeed exist. She used to want to be an astronaut but hates flying. So she's now into politics. Yes, she did sleepwalk. Yay for Amy!

Julia, Samuel, Toan, and Josh: For being great friends! Oh, and for your love of cows Toan.

Caleb, ifrit, and Buster Blader: Thanks for doing really lame things in duels for me to comment on!

Epyon: He gets a separate category because I used many of our inside jokes that were originally made by him. ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED WITH THIS CREDIT? ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED! Keep on reading though. Sephiroth may show up if you do!

David Clement: This guy wrote a book called The Sight that had two wolves called Fell and Larka, who were brother and sister. Those names were some of my favorites, so I named my two characters after them. I offer thanks for his awesome work! (He also wrote Fire Bringer, which is another good book.)

Whoever created Xenosaga: I based Zack's design off a character from here. (The character was Ziggy, in case you ever play it or something) So thanks to whoever created him, because his design rocks! I also stole Helmer's and Captain Lapis Roman's names from it. They rock.

Edo's: His website has every translation I have used, and I am extremely grateful he made it!

Whoever the heck created Yu-Gi-Oh: Obvious!

All of my reviewers, here and on the Yu-Gi-Oh Social Board: Thanks for the positive remarks, and reading this whole thing! You guys and girls rule!

A few names I would like to mention: John, Captain Obvious, Demon Fan, and DesVostgalph! Thank you all for reviewing this story! 31 reviews is something to be proud of when you consider this arc was short, and I am honored you all found my story that interesting! I'll also thank Habba for reading it, even though he didn't review.

And, last and least, Nokia: For creating the N-Gage for me to bash on! (Although I didn't get the chance to in this story…)

The next arc is quite a change in pace. It should be up in exactly one week, because seven days will represent seven years passing.

-Puts up sign that says The End on it-

Kuribo: -Squeals delightedly and tackles Mephistopolis with happy eyes, finally grabbing onto him-

Mephistopolis: I surrender… -Waves white flag while crying-

…Ok, that's it folks!


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